Who's the Father?
by Kjelle Sparks101 IV
Summary: Robin never had an interest in falling in love or starting a family, so when her child from the future showed up for the first time in her life she was at a complete loss.
1. Morgan

There will be minor spoilers in the story, you have been warned.

I don't own Fire Emblem at all. If I did, all of them would be out in the world!

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Who's the Father?

Ch. 1: Morgan

Robin stared at the young man before her, in utter disbelief. Her long, white hair blew across her eyes and yet it didn't hide the view that was already engraved in her mind. She made no move to brush it out of her face so the young man did it for her. He stepped back, smiling and silent, letting her process everything.

She never had any interest in falling in love. There was a very brief moment in time when she contemplated if she was in love with Chrom because of comments from the other women but that quickly passed when he announced his engagement to Sumia. Since then the thought of love never crossed her mind again, let alone the thought of starting a family. She had just assumed that she wasn't the type for any of that stuff and she was okay with that. And yet standing before her was the young man, claiming to be her son.

"Robin?" Chrom called but it never registered. He stood back unsure of what to do next. Looking back at rest of the Shepherds he noticed them giving him all kinds of suggestions and it didn't help at all.

The tactician continued to stare at the patient, young man. Morgan, she had to admit she liked the name; it was unique for a man. His brown eyes that stared back into hers were the same, although they had a cheerful look to them. And then there was his choice of tactics; it was HER choice. She couldn't deny it; he was her son, even though she couldn't explain it either.

Her eyes flew to his hair, orange hair. It was the only physical feature that could have possibly come from his father. So, that begged the question, who was the father? She only knew (or at least as far as she could remember) one man with that hair color and he couldn't possibly be the father.

"Mother?" The sound of the foreign word broke her out of her train of thought. Her gaze, once again, focused on all of Morgan, who was still sporting a big smile. "I think the army is ready to leave."

Turning her sights on the army behind her the first thing she noticed was Chrom's concern plastered all over his face. Nodding, she signaled to everyone that she was ready. As she, along with her son, joined everyone she spied Gaius watching them closely. Their eyes met and he turned away to join his wife. Her eyes yet again fell upon her son and his hair.

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The rest of the day was the same. Robin was still in a daze and Morgan was more than happy to help her. Sitting in the mess hall she picked at her food, unable to find an appetite or even comprehend what it was. Chrom and his wife sat with her in concern but she was unaware of their presence, for the most part, and they were unsure of how to help. She was vaguely aware of the person that placed his or her tray down next to hers.

"Mother, it's your favorite!" Morgan chirped as he sat down. Only his voice could snap her out of it as he was the one consuming her thoughts. Like before her gaze was held captive by him and his smile. "Would you like some of mine?" Unable to find her voice she was only able to slightly shake her head no.

"Such a kind son," Sumia commented, alerting Robin to her presence.

"You've raised him well, though that's no surprise," Chrom added in hopes of cheering up his tactician. When she didn't respond, he tried a new approach. "So Morgan, what's your favorite food?"

For the first time since upon discovering his mother his smile left his face. "…I don't remember," he admitted unable to meet their gaze.

"Wait! You can't remember something so simple like that but you can remember so much about me?" Robin questioned, grabbing everyone's attention as it was the first thing she said since that day's battle.

"I'm sorry. It's just you mean so much to me, mother. There's no way I could forget about you."

With cheeks ablaze she hesitantly placed a hand on his head and rubbed it. Not once since joining the Shepherds did she really care about her lost memories but now she wished for them. His father could be someone from her life before she met Chrom. It would also have been very useful if she could remember how her mother interacted with her.

"…It's alright. We will just try a lot of food until we find your favorites." His smile returned with full force and he began to eat his food with great vigor. Patting her back Chrom gave her a proud smile, one she wasn't sure how to react to.

Her mind was still full of so many questions but was able to calm down enough so that she can process what she's eating and why she liked it. Surveying the area she realized that Sully and Virion were sitting in front of her. She wondered when they got there but never voiced the question. Her gaze expanded and she noticed Gaius at the other table watching her. Unable to meet his gaze she joined in the conversation that her lord was trying to engage her in.

"You really can't remember your father at all?" Sully's loud voice rang out in the hall. Wordlessly Morgan nodded yes. "How's your mom supposed to know who to have se-"

"What my dear Sully means to say is your mother hasn't met your father yet," Virion interrupts, which Robin was grateful for.

Robin caught her son looking at Gaius. "He's not your father," she whispered so only that he could hear. A look of disappointment washed over his face and she awkwardly patted his head again. She could not explain why that action cheered him up.

She wasn't sure how she made it through the rest of that day; in fact she wasn't able to remember most of it. After dropping off Morgan at his tent she trekked her way back to hers but Gaius was waiting there. Her pace slowed way down in an attempt to buy her some time to think but nothing came to her; not her greatest moment as a tactician.

"Hey Bubbles," he greeted once she finally reached her tent. Nothing still came to her mind so she decided to just remain silent. When she reached for her tent flap he decided to speak again. "Don't you have something you want to tell me?" She simply shook her head and was about to enter when he closed the flap on her. "Not even about our secret love child?" She gave him a look before walking in. A few seconds later he followed.

"He's not your child," she finally spoke as she went to her stack of books in the corner.

"How do you know?"

"The same reason that you do." He shrugged at her response. Picking up the canteen that was next to her book she took a sip, grateful that it was full.

"We need to get you a man." She spat out her water all over her books. Putting the dwelling on the damaged books aside she turned her focus on the most important issue, the thief's comment. "Well, when you find yourself someone, it will put all the rumors to rest." She hadn't heard any of them yet (or maybe she did, she didn't remember) but it wasn't hard to figure out what they were about. "I normally wouldn't care but things are different. I have a wife to think about now."

She thought about his words and understood. Rumors of a false affair could be harmful to a marriage, especially a new one. Nodding, she helped show him out of her tent. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out. After all I am a tactician." And with that she pushed him out and went to attending to her wet books.

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I don't like this chapter. I hope the other ones will be better.

Okay, I'll be honest I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with this story. Will be several chapters long or just a few? I do not know.

I know this could be seen as me shamelessly asking for reviews, but depending on how you readers review it could help me come up with a path for this story. Thanks for the reviews in an advance.

It's been awhile since I wrote in past tense so sorry if the verbs are all over the place.


	2. Candidate Number Two

Thanks Shimmerleaf for reminding me about Gregor it helped give me some ideas.

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Ch. 2: Candidate Number Two

Robin had been told on many occasions that she was full of surprises from her tactical genius all the way to her strange behavior at times. With the exceptions of a few things she always felt normal and predictable outside of battle but she had to admit her ability to adapt so well was a most welcomed surprise. It was merely one week before that she discovered that in the future she would have a son and he was with her right at that moment and she was at a complete lost at what to do then. But now she was the poster child for the perfect mother (or at least to Morgan anyway). She even found herself being fond of being called mother, even though it had unnerved her not to long ago.

Despite how well she adapted to the sudden change of being a mother she was still no closer to discovering who the father was. She had tried to put the question out of her mind and focus on more important issues but it still kept her awake at night. She loved Morgan no one could deny that but she still couldn't see herself marrying someone out of love. So that begged the new question, why did she marry his father? She was certainly not going to have a child out of wedlock. So, what did the father have to offer her? Did she marry him because of Morgan's presence now? She had so many questions but no answers.

She walked through the new camp area, not paying attention to anyone or anything. Her eyes scanned over a list of weapons that need to be repaired as a distraction from the thoughts that concerned her future spouse. Sighing she scribbled an estimate on how much repairs would cost and added that number to the other cost expenditures. Again a sigh escaped her lips as she rounded a corner with her eyes still fixated on the list. She wished for an assistant at that moment. Oh, and more money for the army was an added afterthought.

Finally, she was punished for not watching where she was going by bumping into something hard. Rubbing her sore nose she stepped back to view what was in her way, the sellsword Gregor. Her eyes immediately fixated on him. Laughing he smiled down on the wide-eyed tactician.

"You have orange hair!" she yelled startling him and everyone that had been in the area. His laughter broke her out of shock and she became acutely aware of all the stares. She held the sheet of paper in front of her face as a pathetic shield. "By gods, why did I shout that?"

Continuing to laugh he threw an arm over her shoulder and started to lead her away. Robin tried to struggle free but he was just too strong. Short of actually blasting him with a thunder spell, she was helpless and at his mercy as he paraded her throughout the camp. After what seemed like an eternity to Robin they finally reached their destination, his tent.

"You may have orange hair but I'm not going to do THAT just because of it!" To make her point even clearer she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself. Again he burst out laughing, adding to her embarrassment.

"No no no, you misunderstand Gregor," he finally said after his fit ended. Her face reflects her un-amusement sending him into another laughing spree. She was left standing in silence as he shifted through a bag; his chuckles reminded her of her mistakes. "This why Gregor brought you here."

He handed her a jar with a green liquid sloshing around. She stared at the container waiting for the reason as to why he was giving it to her but she didn't get one. In frustration she glared at the mercenary. "Is special medicine Gregor drinks on hard journey!" An eyebrow was arched a sign for him to go into detail. "Taste like bottom of old well, but is very good for you!"

Eyebrows furred together as she tried to come up with a reason why he would give it to her. Robin was brilliant but she could also be very dense at times. The liquid sloshed around as she shook the jar and held it up to light that flitted through the tent's flap, as if it would explain anything. Sighing, she finally gave up and asked, "Why are you giving this to me?"

"You have no hurting throat? No hacking up a lung?" Again her eyebrows furred together in concentration. Her right hand rubbed her throat as she recalled the pain she had been feeling lately. "This will help! You have Gregor's word!"

She looked at the jar once more and smiled. "Thank you." She was about to leave but when he cleared his throat awkwardly she stopped. The jar was held out as an offer but he declined it with a simple head shake.

"Gregor was hoping you could help with something." When she agreed with a nod he produced a ring from his pocket. Her eyes went wide and were locked on to the piece of jewelry. Worried about the look in her eyes he hid the ring back in his pocket. "Please do not misunderstand Gregor again. You worried about son's existence, yes? Gregor knows but Gregor is not father."

Her checks burned and she was no longer able to look him in the eye. She wanted to deny what he speculated but she couldn't. Once she noticed his hair color she couldn't help but think that he could possibly be the father. She felt incredibly foolish and wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment because she was sure if she suffered anymore then she might very well die, which at that moment wouldn't have been such a bad thing.

Eagar to change the conversation and save the suffering tactician from herself, he spoke again, "Gregor is going to ask Miriel to be Gregor's wife. Gregor was hoping you can help, yes?" She wasn't sure if he was joking but the look in his eye told her he was serious.

She was the worst person to ask about things that involved love as many of the women came to realize when the sought her for love advice; she knew that better than anyone. It also didn't help that she didn't know him very well. She tried to spend time and bond with everyone in the Shepherds but being the chief tactician during a war took up most of her time; so more often than not she didn't get to spend more than a few minutes with some of the members-Gregor had been one of them. She knew so very little about him; in fact she wasn't even aware of his hair color until recently. So she couldn't understand why he asked her of all people.

The expression on his face grew anxious and she needed to answer. Even though she was sure anyone else would be much more helpful but she agreed to assist anyway. She tried to deny it but she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed about the fact that the other man she knew with orange hair was marring another woman. As he showed her the ring again she wished for the father of her son to appear before her soon.

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Ug, I don't like this chapter too. It's also short like the other…bleh.

I can't believe I forgot about Gregor. I like him! But it's so hard to write his speech, the inner grammar Nazi fights me. You know I was wondering if Vaike and Gregor had a conversation who would say their name the most.

I came up with more things to write about but I'm still not sure where this story is going. Reviews helped me last time so won't you help me again with more of them?


	3. Hair Troubles

I've gotten so many great reviews despite my displeasures with the last two chapters. Thank you all so much!

Gaius' wife is finally revealed. Da da Dum!

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Ch. 3: Hair Troubles

As much as Robin loved Morgan there was a part of her-deep down inside- that wished she never meet him. It was an ugly part of herself that she desperately tried to ignore-deny-but it kept creeping up on her whenever she was alone. She felt so horrible for feeling that way. She dared not tell a soul about it; instead she decided to suffer in silence that was what she was good at.

The feeling only existed because he made her realize another horrible feeling-loneliness. Morgan's presence alerted her to everyone that was paired up, which was almost everyone that participated in the Plegia war; in fact, she was the only woman that participated in that war that didn't have a partner. And every day she went without finding her son's father only reminded her more of how alone she was. It didn't help that Morgan started to spend more and more time away from her and spent it with his friends, Owain and Yarne. She knew that she shouldn't be jealous-that it was beyond stupid- because those two really need a friend like Morgan. But she couldn't help herself.

Sighing, Robin looked over the pictures of wyvern she found; she couldn't believe they were all females. She was many things and wyvern match maker was her latest job and based off her last performance she was terrible at it. It was a job she found fascinating but during a war she had no time for it. Cherche wouldn't let the tactician quit for the sake of her dear Minerva's future. Because of all the rumors of Robin and Gaius floating around she felt compelled to help even though Cherche wasn't angry and held nothing against her.

Rubbing her eyes she placed the pictures on top of a crate, in the corner of her tent, her eyes were starting to hurt because of the constant staring at them. She was going to being dreaming of wyverns that night and possibly the next few nights. Being compelled didn't mean anything when she really had no idea what the wyvern rider wanted. It was already proving to be quite difficult to differentiate between a male and female wyvern and she had no idea what made them attractive (or even cute for that matter). The hints she received meant very little to someone with no experience with those creatures. And rich. Did Cherche really want her to find a wyvern that had money? Where in the world was she going to find that?

Sighing again, she pushes the papers aside to take a small break. Leaning back she stretches and stumbled upon Ricken with a pair of scissors in her tent. In alarm she was on her feet an Arcthunder tome in hand. He threw his hands up in the air with a firm grip on the scissors and offered a smile.

"Calm down," he said but her eyes narrowed on him, "I mean no harm." She rolled her eyes and he chuckled awkwardly. "It's for Tharja. You understand, right?"

No, she didn't. How was she supposed too? Was doing something for a lover the same as doing one for a friend? Did it make you feel the same? She doubted it, after all lovers were much more inclined to do something for their partner instead of a friend.

He smiled brightly and her expression never changed. Frowning he pulled out an Elwind tome from his cloak. "You leave me no choice then." Flinging his arm towards the sky a small tornado formed inside the cluttered tent.

All her papers and other important belongs began to fly around and she was helpless to stop them. One of the very nice portraits of a wyvern flew smacked into her face. Before she could react she heard the dreaded sound-snip. In a flash the picture was ripped from her face and crushed in her tight grip. He was out of the tent before anything could happen.

"Ricken!" she screeched as she blotted out of her tent.

Her eyes landed on her target as he fled a lock of her beautiful, white hair in his hands. The tome, in her procession, came to life and opened on the desired page. Her fingers stretched out and pointed to her target. The light, tingly sensation danced on the tips of her fingers itching to be released. Eyes narrowing, fingers electrified, she took a deep breath ready to fire but stopped when she came to her senses. No matter how angry he made her, it was not good to destroy a valued unit during a war. He was lucky.

A strong breeze blew throughout the camp and the young mage's hat was at its mercy. His orange hair was exposed to all. She watched as he quickly grabbed his hat in fear of the tactician's wrath. With the hat secured his hair was yet again hidden.

Sighing, Robin started to pick up the papers that managed to escape her tent. She had realized Ricken's hair color a while ago but she had the mental capacity to not shout it to everyone (lesson was learned). Ever since then she had done her best to spend as little time with the young man as much as possible.

One might think that marriage would calm a crazy stalker but Tharja was different. For the safety of both Ricken and herself she decided to keep some distance in order to prevent rumors. Who knows how the Plegian dark mage would react and what she would do? She shuddered at the thought.

"What matter of new hexes will be placed on me now?" she asked herself as she picked up the last paper.

"Mother?" The sudden new voice startled poor Robing causing her to drop all the papers. That was twice in one day that someone was able to sneak up on her and she wasn't pleased about it. She counted her blessings that she wasn't in a battle right then. Grumbling, she turned to face Morgan and a smile plastered itself on her face. It was hard to stay mad when he was around, even if he had yet to do anything. "What are you doing?"

Sighing for who knows how many times that day, she went back to picking up the papers again. Through the gaps in her tent's flap she was able to see the mess inside. She wasn't looking forward to cleaning it. Ricken would pay; she would make sure of it.

"Mother?" Morgan called again as he started to help her. Maneuvering around so that he could see his beloved mother's face he noticed the uneven cut. Grabbing it he brought it to her attention. "Mother, what happened?"

Gasping, she grabbed the short hair. Shock was frozen on her face as she stared at the terrible cut. Why did he have to cut it where it would be so noticeable? Oh, revenge would be sweet. So sweet.

As a plan formulated in her mind an evil grin spread across her face. When eyes locked he stopped what he was doing; it was finally his turned to be trapped in her gaze. "Morgan, I could use your help with something."

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Okay, I give up on having these chapters long.

So, it has been pointed out to me that Walhart would produce an orange haired Morgan but I do not know if that's true. Regardless he's not even an option. I would really like to see how everyone in the Shepherds would react if the Avatar married him or Gangrel.

By the way, Walhart's confession scene is the scariest thing ever. 0.0

As usually I'm shamelessly asking ideas in the forms of reviews. Please help me out!


	4. Desert Problems

Ch. 4: Desert Problems

Revenge is a dish best served cold, was what Robin would have liked to felt but no punishment she gave was ever satisfying. She even came up with a grueling punishment she and Morgan were able to convince Ricken that he had shrunk and for a while she was pretty satisfied with herself until her guilt came in and ruined the fun. So short of blasting him with a bolt of lightning nothing was going to bring that much joy and she really wanted to fry him to a crisp. Ricken's foolish act cost her much more hair than the lock he stole. To even it out she had to cut her hair short-really short. She didn't really care about looks but there was something about her hair…She didn't know or understand. Not to mention she was pretty sure that Tharja now had a bag full of her hair.

"Come on, it doesn't look that bad," Chrom repeated as he saw Robin grab her bare neck and frown for the tenth time that morning. "I actually think it looks nice." He sighed when she gave him a not amused look.

"Sumia, what do you think?" He threw the attention onto his wife, who wasn't grateful.

"Uh….I-it looks nice," she struggled to come up with a comforting compliment, "M-makes you look younger."

A grunt was Robin's response. An exasperated Chrom threw his hands in the air. For as long as he knew her, Robin had never been so difficult; in fact, she always went out of her way to work with him. He didn't know how to deal with that Robin. And above all things she was throwing a tantrum over something so pointless.

"It's just hair!" He finally said it. Sumia gasped and the other woman glared.

Like two little kids the lord and tactician glared at each other. All the adult could do was watch helplessly and wondered how those two were able to lead their army. Dirt blew into their eyes and both were forced to stop their childish fight. She recovered first and came to a startling realization of her behavior.

Sighing, she explained, "I feel like I wasn't supposed to cut my hair." With the help of his wife Chrom was able to return to his senses. "Like I broke a promise to my mother…Or even a lover…"The look of absolute doubt on her friends' faces when she mentioned a possible lover restored her anger.

"Who knows how long I've been growing it out!" she grumbled as she stormed away. She heard the Pegasus knight call for her but she didn't stop.

It wasn't so hard to believe that she could have a past lover, was it? Oh, who was she kidding? Even she didn't believe it. That didn't mean her anger would be appeased.

Anger clouds judgment and breads denial but Robin could tell that she was more irritable than she should be. She blamed the desert, they were currently in. During the Plegia war she had felt a familiarity with the deserts in Plegia; the only explanation that she could come up with at that time was that she was from there but she kept that information to herself (she didn't need Fredrick distrusting her even more). The situation at that time caused a great disdain for Plegian deserts; at least, that what she believed but as she thought about it more that reason wasn't enough. After discovering her lineage she realized it was because of her…father (she always felt ill when she had to refer to him as that). She came to the conclusion that because she was in a desert (even though it wasn't a Plegian one) was why her mood was so foul.

Whipping the sweat that accumulated on her brow she looked out at the vast, dry sand. The idea of a hidden, mirage village sounded ludicrous but so did the rumor about Naga's Tear in the Ruins of Time. She still had her suspicions but she had a strong feeling that something wonderful was going to happen. Being a tactician she knew better than to rely on feelings but it was so strong that it made her giddy with anticipation; though the desert's annoyances were a bit to overpowering at that moment.

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Battles were horrible enough; heat and sand didn't need to be added to the mix. As everyone recovered from the battle doing what it is they do, Robin sat on a rock away from most people. She fanned herself with her hand as Chrom rambled on about how her hair cut was nice, in a failed attempt at calming his tactician. He was too blind to see he was having the opposite effect. The only reason why she hadn't snapped yet was because she was too tired to.

Ignoring the hollow flattery she did a partial mental review of the battle. During the organized chaos she had learned that someone had joined them, who? She didn't know but she assumed it was one of the children from the future as they had been running into them lately. Normally, she would go and introduce herself first thing after a battle (and the family had a little moment) but that could wait until nightfall or at least a little break.

Robin's prayers were answered when Fredrick and Morgan came and distracted Chrom; Naga knew that the tactician's patience was running thin for the lord. The gift of water that Morgan brought was also a pleasant bonus. Distraction was short lived as Chrom brought his lieutenant's attention onto her hair. Despite her sour mood she found herself laughing at Chrom's displeasure at Fredrick's "compliments" were about the new style being a good strategic move.

Someone cleared his throat and it grabbed everyone's attention. Standing before them was a young man they never meet before. The intense glare from his lens forced them to put a hand up as a shield, adjusting his glasses weakened the glare and they were actually able to look at him. Suddenly, her breath was caught her throat and she couldn't look away. Her stomach twisted and her body felt all tingly. It felt like she was under a hex but different. He was just a simple mage so did Tharja just have perfect timing? Or was he like Ricken and have the ability to cast hexes too? The last thing she need was another person with hex casting abilities (she was getting a bit tired of being a guinea pig).

"Hello, I'm Laurent," he greeted. He exchanged a look with everyone and when his eyes met her it felt like a bolt of lightning ran down her spine, she also felt that his eyes lingered on her longer than necessary but she didn't care. "I'm Miriel's and Gregor's son and the newest addition to your army."

For some reason the word "son" stood out louder than anything else he said. She began to really look at him and she was able to see the resemblance. No longer was she just able to see Laurent she could only see his parents. Chrom expressed his gratitude before being dragged by Fredrick for an issue that didn't require the chief tactician that left Robin with the children. Morgan was smilingly cheerful like always, unaware of his mother's distress, and Laurent was starring and she smiled back awkwardly.

"Robin, can I discuss something with you?" There was that strange jolt down her spine again. Unable to find her voice all she could do was nod. "I was-"

"Oy, Laurent that you are!" Gregor's booming voice overpowered the younger man's softer one. Annoyance went unnoticed by the father as he threw his arm around his son's shoulders. "Oy Robin, look!" he shouted as he finally noticed the other two. Again annoyance went unnoticed as the hat was removed. "He has orange hair like Gregor!"

She was speechless. She stared at the young man's hair unsure of what to make of Gregor's comment. Did he point it out because he believed that his son could be Morgan's father? No, when she thought about it and looked at Gregor's overjoyed expression she knew it was merely a statement of pride.

"Father please!" Laurent finally protested as he forced his hat back on his head. All other protest went ignored as he was dragged off so that he could be paraded around.

"Mother…?" Morgan called with a strange hopeful look in his eyes. He didn't need to say anything for her to know what he was going to ask.

"…Of course not," she responded a bit slowly. He looked downcast but nodded.

It wasn't going to work with Laurent; he was a child the rational part of her mind determined. The irrational part, on the other hand, felt differently. It kept pointing out numerous things about the young man, she barely knew. Its biggest argument was that he was very handsome and she realized what that strange feeling was from before-she was attracted to him. _He's a child_, she kept reminding herself the rest of the day.

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I don't think I'm ever going to write a chapter for this story that I'm satisfied with.

I picture Gregor the type of guy that would be proud and show off his kid.

Anyway, suggestions really do help so if you have any ideas or things you would like to see please tell me in a review. It will be really helpful because my ideas are all over the place.


	5. Unwanted Matchmakers

Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! If I don't respond to you I'm sorry.

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Ch. 5: Unwanted Matchmakers

Guilt is a horrible feeling. Robin couldn't stand feeling it (who did?) and she was very susceptible to it. She couldn't get revenge or eat the last snack without it pestering her. And as of late it had been consuming her and the reason why was because of her unwanted attraction towards the young mage, Laurent. She was having a hard time looking Miriel and Gregor in the eye.

She had no idea how to deal with that problem. Of course she had been attracted to someone before; it was hard not to be with all the handsome men in the Shepherds (Chrom had been a long one). The feelings usually died out as she had been too distracted to care. But guilt wouldn't allow it to leave her mind for one second. Not to mention his orange hair kept her wondering, even though she really wished she wouldn't.

Yawning, Robin finished the last of her expectations of the Shepherds' food supply. On a piece of parchment she made a note of what they were running low on. She frowned when she realized it was mostly sugary confections; silently, she cursed the thief. Done with all that was need in that tent she left before her appetite could rear its ugly head.

"Ah Robin, I have been looking for you," someone said just as she emerged. She didn't have to look to know who it was; it was the man, who got her heart racing-Laurent. Smiling was the perfect cover to hide her turmoil. "May I discuss something with you, please?"

Adjusting his glasses the glare temporarily blinded her. "Discuss away." She said as she blinked away the spots that plagued her vision. She was very pleased with herself at her ability to hide all her problems.

"As the chief tactician you always work alone, correct?" She nodded. "I was wondering if perhaps you might not be overburdened by your duties." She nodded at his acute understanding as very few truly understood her work and the burdens it placed on her. He paused to watch her closely. Assuming that her nodding was just an act of agreeing he decided to risk it and asked what had been on his mind since he first met her. "Or if you might be in the need of a lieutenant. …Such as myself." He added the last part as an afterthought.

"A lieutenant?" The surprise in her voiced unnerved him a bit but he didn't show it. His boldness was something she never expected. A lieutenant was a high position reserved for soldiers with much experience. Granted she was sure that he had plenty of experience but none of it was with the Shepherds and because they spent so little time together (as she made sure of it) that she didn't have a complete assessment of his skills. Still, no one was really a candidate to be HER lieutenant (no one cared actually).

"Simply put, I would like to assist you in your work, Robin." She really did need an assistant and Laurent would be perfect for it that was if it wasn't for her personal issues. Sometimes she wished she was a man, it would have made things so much easier. "If you are amenable, of course."

He was determined and she couldn't deny that she was becoming more and more over worked as the war dragged on. Her decision was made when a lack of self-control compelled her to look at him and all those strange feelings in her body gave in. "That sounds very helpful." She cursed the irrational part of her mind. "If I need anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

His smile was his thanks. Again she cursed herself at how much joy and excitement a simple smile brought her. "Excellent. Please, do not hesitate to summon me at any time."

She offered him her own smile. It was beneath her and she knew it but she hoped her smile affected him the same as his did for her. She wanted him to be just as uncomfortable around her but she doubted it. After all why would it when he sought her out twice and wanted to be her lieutenant? Guilt tormented her for feeling that way.

After getting the young man to agree to not to run himself ragged by helping her they went their separate ways. Guilt and giddiness did not make a good combination, especially when the guilt was because of the giddy. She needed a distraction and quick. Helping-teasing-Lon'qu was always fun. All that was left to do was locate the swordsman.

* * *

Helping -teasing- Lon'qu proved to be most effecting. Smiling to herself she made her way to the mess hall, hunger compelled her to walk faster than normal. She hummed a cheerful tune along the way; her earlier problems were all but forgotten. Her mood was lifted and she did not have a care in the world.

Her good mood increased as she sat down with a tray full of food. She inhaled deeply the delectable aroma before taking a bite. It was far from gourmet food but she was hungry and thus it was enough. Her good mood was infectious as everyone around her couldn't help but smile themselves.

Gregor's sudden and constant yelling caught everyone's attention and disrupted the calm, serenity of Robin's area. He was calling for his son, who was doing his best to ignore him. Out of annoyance Laurent harshly placed his tray down next to Robin's. He tried to look normal but embarrassment and annoyance stained his features (Robin unwilling found it cute). Right before he sat Robin spotted him glancing at his parents with a longing look in his eyes.

"Go sit with them," she told him before taking another bite. An appalled look was his response and she had to fight back a chuckle. "It's only natural for a child to want to be with his parents."

A blush spread across his strained features. "Robin please, I'm a grown man!"

She stared at him in utter disbelief. His words echoed in her head. The irrational part of her mind screamed at her to go for it. Those thoughts were kicked to the corner when she noticed his parents in the corner of her eye. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Sitting with your parents doesn't make you a child. Being stubborn and lying to yourself that you don't want to, does." Embarrassment washed over him again. Subtly, he picked up his try and got up.

"…Thank you," he mumbled so only she could hear it. With his back to her she let out a sigh of relief now that she could go back to eating her meal in peace. A smile graced her lips as she saw a cheerful Gregor when his son sat next to him.

With the yelling done and her distraction gone the tactician went back to enjoying her meal. A smile danced on her lips with each bite. Nothing could ruin her mood then…Or so she thought.

The beginning of the end started when Lissa and Vaike joined her. She found it odd that Vaike wouldn't look her in the eye but she didn't bother trying to figure out why. Lissa was sporting a giant grin but Robin's curiosity (and fear) could wait until after dinner.

"Oh Robin, I can't wait any longer!" Lissa exploded startling everyone. Her husband grunted and looked away, worrying the tactician. Lissa got so close that her face was only a few inches from the other woman's. The grin grew and so did Robin's fear; it got to the point where it was very difficult to sallow.

"Yes?" Robin dared asked and immediately regretted it.

"I found the perfect guy for you in town!" Viake again grunted his displeasure but just like the first two times no attention was paid to him. Robin was left dumbfounded and speechless. She just stared at the cleric as she rambled on about the man.

"Hell no!" Sully's voice overpowered Lissa's. In no time at all she closed the short distant between her table and theirs. Virion followed and offered an apology with his eyes. Robin did not like where that was going. "I found the perfect guy for her!"

Why was Sully being a matchmaker? "He's got some damn good armor and would be one hell of a sparring partner!" That's why.

Robin tried to ignore them and finished her food with what little peace she could muster. But when more and more women joined in she was left baffled. She listened into everyone's argument (none of which cared about her opinion) and realized that no one bothered to describe their man's appearance.

"Hey!" She really had to strain her voice to be heard. Once she had everyone's attention she did a pose to let everyone know that she was still in the room. Finding her presence unimportant everyone resumed their argument, forcing her to shout again.

In the corner she spotted Gaius crippled with laughter and she hopped he would choke on it. Her attention returned to everyone, they were all waiting for the point to be made. She rolled her head back and forth trying to figure out what how to deal with them. Finally, she decided to just get the obvious out of the way.

"Let me guess all those men have one thing in common." She made sure that her annoyance was very noticeable in her tone. Looks were exchanged before she continued. "They all have orange hair, right?"

All the woman exchanged looks with each other again. "Well duh, gotta have the same hair color as your boy," Sully spoke for everyone.

"And did it ever occur to any of you that Morgan's father might not have orange hair?" Looks of confusion spread far and wide amongst the group.

"What the hell ya talking about?"

"Plenty of couples produced children with hair colors that don't match theirs." Of course, it didn't help her argument that all the children from the future had their father's hair color.

Silence befell as everyone considered Robin's point. Satisfied with the quiet she returned to eating; the food no longer tasted as good. "Besides, I don't need help."

The look of doubt was something she was starting to hate and right then and there she was in a room full of people expressing it. She pushed her try to Stahl, who happily took it, and stormed out. She muttered to herself about how stupid love was and how dumb the Shepherds were.

Rounding a corner she bumped into Tharja. Normally the dark mage would be spewing threats but because it was Robin she, instead, was blushing and smiling like a mad woman. The tactician gave a quick apology before leaving for her destination again.

"Wait!" Tharja cried. Robin fought hard to not show any signs that she was angry. Keeping the smile on her face was quite the challenge as well. "I heard you were looking for a good candidate to be your son's father." The urge to slam her head against something hard was an incredibly hard one to resist.

"What makes you think that?" Robin was surprised at how calmly she was able to ask that.

The other woman gripped the tome she was holding her smile grew in sheer delight of the fact that she was having a conversation with her obsession. "For you, I don't mind lending Ricken to you." Again for the third time that night Robin was left dumbfounded (it was a new record). Her eyes did an entire scan of the area; she was waiting for someone to jump out and say it was a jape or something. When her eyes landed on Tharja again, she could only conclude that the dark mage was actually being serious.

"No. That's okay…"

Robin never went to bed early as she considered it a complete waste of valuable time but for that night she made an exception.

* * *

Holy cow! Over 2,000 words?! …That's not something to be proud of…especially when most of this chapter was dialogue.

It was pointed out to me that Tharja would share her husband if it was for the Avatar and I agree. But I still think that she would be jealous of her husband getting all kinds of attention from Robin. And before anyone can say anything there will be no talk of threesomes.

As always, reviews and suggestions do help! So please give me some! Thank you!


	6. Mood Killer

Holy cow! Over 50 reviews?! You guys actually like this story? Thank you so much!

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Ch. 6: Mood Killer

Exhaustion was something one would expect when they fought in a war and none more than a tactician. And Robin was beyond tired. The war was taking a great toll on her as she expected but a new reason that emerged wasn't something that she or anyone would expect a tactician to suffer (at least not DURING a war).

Her arguments and anger went ignored among her fellow Shepherds about how she didn't need help to find Morgan's father. It had become an almost a daily occurrence where someone would come up to her about the man that would be "perfect" for her (when the men did it she couldn't tell if they were serious or mocking her). She was pretty sure that it became a game for the Shepherds-"Find Robin a Man". It also didn't help that her son started to take part as well.

Robin's eyes scanned the camp searching for her target. Narrowed eyes, a scowl, and tightly balled fists were signs to everyone to avoid her at their own cost. She scoffed, growled, and muttered to herself each time she checked an area he wasn't there. She even thought about burning his tent to the ground a few times because he was never there whenever she checked.

Finally her target was spotted at the outskirts of the camp. Chrom was having an intimate moment with his wife. Sweet butterfly kisses and loving words distracted the couple from their intruder. It was such a moving scene that even Frederick wouldn't dare to interrupt but unfortunately for them it was the perfect moment for an enraged Robin.

From her pack she pulled out the perfect tool to ruin the mood, an Arcwind tome. Gripping her tome an evil grin spread across her face; if anyone had saw her then they might concluded that she was spending too much time with Tharja. She took her sweet time to turn to the page that she needed so that the couples' mood would build. When Chrom started to kiss Sumia's neck she knew the time was right. The tome came alive and magic surged through her fingers and her grin grew; thrusting her hand towards the cute couple a whirlwind surrounded them.

"By gods, what the hell is going on?" Chrom shouted as he tried to shield his wife from the wind. Robin's malevolent laugh answered his question. "Robin?! What in Naga's name do you think you're doing?"

"Payback," was her simple answer. Her response wasn't good enough so he glared at her as he dusted himself off. "That was for sending that man to my tent!" She whipped up another small tornado when he managed to nearly clean himself.

"Robin!" His anger was rising and she didn't care.

"Be grateful I didn't blast you with a fireball!"

The lord and his tactician argued back and forth and Sumia was left standing awkwardly on the side. As it dragged on the only bystander realized it had turned into a childish argument as they started to exchange insults about each other intelligence and looks. The Pegasus Knight chuckled to herself at their immaturity.

As she always did Robin managed to bring their childish argument back to the beginning. "I'm more than capable of finding Morgan's father on my own," she stated in such a matter-of-fact tone that it practically mocked their intelligence. As usual Chrom took a few minutes to return to being an adult as proven by the way he called her a number of insults. "Real mature, oh Exalt."

They yelled a bit more before their lungs demanded air. While they were too busy gasping for air Sumia took the chance to speak, "Robin, it was actually me who sent that man to your tent." She successfully managed to pull the tactician's attention onto her. Chrom instinctively stood protectively in front of his wife, even though they both knew Robin wouldn't hurt either of them.

Finally Sumia's presence really registered to Robin. She saw her friend's messed up hair and dirt covered clothes and the guilt started to build in her. She could never get revenge without guilt running her fun. Regardless, she pushed the feeling aside.

"Don't try to defend him. The man confessed that it was Chrom who sent him."

"That's because I asked Chrom to do it." Absentmindedly he nodded at the truth. Robin sighed as she felt like she was just punched in the gut by her annoying feeling.

Reluctantly the silver-hair woman apologized. He teased her about it and ultimately offered his own. After peace was made she left them to continue what they were doing before but they all knew that the mood was lost.

At camp Laurent was waiting for her. His presence instantly reminded her that she didn't do any of her chores that day. The sun was setting which meant she had no time to do them and she mentally scolded herself for it. She acted as if she didn't forget anything important so not to disappoint him.

They walked through camp making their way to her tent. She missed out on a lot of things but she still needed to plan tomorrow marching route. She quietly listened as he gave a report about today's findings. The more she listened the more a smile made its way onto her face. He did her chores and by the way he was talking she figured that he wasn't aware of the fact that they were hers.

Chuckling from her grabbed his attention and he stopped his ramblings. "I beg your pardon, but did I say something humorous?" She slightly shook her head but continued to laugh a little. He arched an eye brow seeking an answer.

"Some of the things you've done are the things I regular do," she worded it in a way that wouldn't alert him that she hadn't done them yet.

His eyebrows knotted together and he sighed an "Of course." Unaware of her actions she placed a hand on his arm and closed the distance between them. She laughed as she told him it was alright. Her actions intrigued him. "May I ask what are you doing?" When he was met with a confused expression he knew that she wasn't aware of their closeness. He gestured to his arm and she immediately backed away and apologized. For reasons he couldn't understand or explain why the distance disappointed him.

Adjusting his glasses and coughing into his hand he offered the change of subject they sorely needed. "Is there anything I might help you with today?" She looked at the sunset and his gaze followed and he realized it was a foolish question. Before he could retract his question he noticed her hand curved around his chin and the far off look in her eyes, a gesture he had come to learn meant she was in thought.

"The only thing I have left to do isn't something that another person can help with," she said after a moment of silence.

It was disappointing to hear but he didn't show it. Again it was silent until he thought of an alternative. "Would you mind terribly if I watched you while you work?"

His question was met with a confused stare. She was thoroughly convinced that it would be dreadfully dull to watch her work but she could tell he was determined. Disregarding her concerns she agreed and there was the smile that excited her. Choosing a path route just got a lot harder.

It wasn't until they reached her tent that she realized what she was doing, she would be all alone with Laurent in her tent. It shouldn't have meant anything; she had been alone with plenty of men before but none of them affected her the way the young mage did. Nervousness compelled her to search for any sign of Miriel or Gregor. When he questioned her about her strange behavior she nearly jumped into the air. Denying everything she rushed into her tent.

Pushing her bedroll and a few other things aside she made room for the crate she placed in the middle. She didn't need to look at him to know that he was silently inspecting and judging her living conditions. Despite her anger at herself for inability to get anything done that day she was grateful for the distraction Chrom and Sumia gave her because it didn't give her any time to destroy her tent as she normally would do.

The map of Valm was spread over the crate and he took great interest in it. She stole one final glance at him before giving all her attention to the map. Arms folded across her chest, she stood completely straight, and stared down the map as if it was an enemy. A few minutes passed and she didn't move and that worried him. With a sudden swift motion her finger was on the map before he could even think to voice his concern. She traced a path and muttered to herself.

It was quiet as she traced many paths with her finger. He watched with curiosity as her brows furred together and she mumbled about each path, only some of what she said he could make out. After tracing so many potential routes (many of which he wasn't even aware were an option) her finger stopped at a specific spot. She tapped it several times and kept muttering to herself.

The tactician's finger didn't leave its spot but her muttering stopped. She scanned her tent and landed on him but he was aware that she wasn't looking at him but through him. She left the crate to get something that was behind him and he was finally able to get a good look at what she was considering, Wyvern's Valley.

She came back with a book; he couldn't see all of the title but from the part he could and the current situation he concluded it was a book about geography. Giving the index a quick search over she flipped to the page that was needed. She read in silence and that irked him a little but he knew she had long forgotten about him. Closing the book she breathed a heavy sigh before dropping her face into her hands.

In alarm he broke the silence, "Are you alright?" She jumped at his voice. Confusion was written all over her face and as she began to remember a sheepish grin replaced it. He found it oddly cute at how she could be so stoic at times and yet so expressive at others.

She stared at the map for a bit before giving him an answer, "Wyvern Valley is a good place to pass through that the Conqueror will most likely not expect but its terrain…"She let the thought die. She glanced at Laurent, who was inspecting the map, and remembered that he had been wandering on his own for three years. "You, by any chance, haven't been there yet?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, I have not yet had the privilege to visit there." She smiled at his obvious curiosity.

"From what I've read its terrain isn't idea for crossing with large armies. Bridges can only hold so many people." There was something in her voice about the last statement that he couldn't pinpoint but he didn't press on about it for fear that he would cause her to lose her train of thought. "But that can be said about the Conqueror's forces as well."

"What about flying units?" She smiled at him, earning a puzzled look in return. Chrom was smart but when it came to tactics he was lacking, which left her with most of the work. If Laurent would take a true interest in tactics and discussed with her often it would greatly help her (Morgan often got distracted easily but it was expect for one his age). Different ideas helped in planning complicated things.

"From what I've seen and the reports I've read the Conqueror doesn't have that many flying units so we should be safe." He arched an eyebrow at the uncertain statement. "But to be careful we will have all units that know archery carry a bow and all mages will possess wind tomes." That still wasn't a satisfying statement and she could tell from his expression. "A tactician can never be a hundred percent sure about how things will play out; we can only rely on the facts presented to us and make guesses. After all humans are quite unpredictable." At the honest statement he nodded in understanding.

"So, it's safe to assume that we shall be leaving for Wyvern Valley tomorrow?"

"Not yet," she said as she rolled up the map, "I need to discuss this with Chrom first."

He got up, ready to leave. "I'll take that as a yes." Before she could respond he left.

She looked at the rolled up map in her arms and pondered on what he meant by that. It was true that Chrom regard her tactical decisions on the highest order and never disagreed with her before. But still, his question sounded to her like he assumed that she was in charge.

* * *

Wow, another chapter over 2,000 words? Next stop 3,000!

I truly am trying to incorporate all ideas and suggestions. Still trying to figure out how to get Morgan more involved in this story.

Got ideas you want to share? Please leave them in a review. Thank you!


	7. The Final Child

This chapter was harder to write than the others but now I'm done with it.

I tell myself to stop typing and rereading these chapters late at night and what do I do? Bad Sparks101.

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Ch. 7: The Final Child

Wyvern Valley was everything Robin had feared. She never planned to be a role model (she believed it would be a hassle and she was right) but regardless she became one. So she tried to maintain a perfect image. And that perfect image didn't included fears. She kept her secrets to herself and she had been lucky enough not to have to face them…until then.

Heights. Compared to many things it was a silly fright but she was absolutely terrified of them. Wyvern Valley had been a place she wanted to avoid but she couldn't, not when she had an army to direct. She thought so long as they just had to cross it she would be okay but battling on the old, rickety bridges was almost to terrifying to imagine; but a last, fate was cruel.

"What are you waiting for?" the newest addition to the Shepherds, Gerome, asked. She looked at him from the corner of her eye; she swore his wyvern was Minerva's twin. If it wasn't for her fear she might have been able to realize who he was and why his wyvern was so similar. He gestured for her to move forward but she was frozen in place. Why did it have to be so high?

"Robin?" Chrom asked but she didn't acknowledge him.

"Are we performing a defensive strategy?" questioned Laurent but she didn't acknowledge him either.

"But that would put the villagers in danger." She knew that. "Robin, I don't approve!" She also knew that he wouldn't.

Seconds ticked by and Robin still hadn't moved. Chrom was starting to get restless but didn't do anything, believing that his best friend had something planned. Desperately, she tried to put the location out of her mind and imagine that they were in a field. But the sounds from the bridges and the harsh wind were just a dreadful reminder.

"Are you afraid?" Gerome finally asked surprising everyone, Robin especially.

That was the kicker she needed. All thought process left her at once and she suddenly went charging like a mad woman, leaving everyone behind. The only good thing about her crazed action was she caught the bandits off-guard as well.

With the element of surprise she was able to take out one enemy and unarmed another. But when the disarmed archer's bow went sailing down the cliff her courage went along with it. She dropped to the her knees as the adrenaline left her but to everyone else it just looked like a very strange and poor way to avoid the axe that sliced the air just above her.

"Are you daft?!" Gerome shouted as he took out the wyvern lord that swung the axe.

Sweat dripped from her face and her body trembled as she got to her feet. Looking at the pathetic state she was in, he realized that his guess was right. The others in her group caught up and she ordered them to go on ahead because she knew full well that she would just hold them back. Against her orders he stayed behind.

"Pathetic," he criticized. That one word was sharper than any blade she ever came across. "If you're so afraid why are you fighting?"

"Because I'm the tactician," was her response and it was full of pride. She took a deep breath before charging again, that time with thought put into it.

His wyvern cried out loudly, a cry of pride. He rubbed the side of his beast's neck. "I understand why you like her, Minerva." Satisfied with her answer he followed to join the battle, he wanted no part of.

Once she was off the bridge, her fear greatly reduced and he took notice. He understood that his initial guess was actually wrong; it wasn't the enemy she feared but the height. And she wasn't pathetic for that. Despite his apprehension to traveling to the past he smiled to himself, appreciating that his parents' good friend, who was so amazing, was human just like the rest of them.

That joy and relief he felt soon dissolved into anger that he felt at the beginning of the battle. In his time he fought far too many Risen for anyone's comfort and as a result he was strong but these lowly bandits proved to be quite difficult for him. He was doing so terribly that Robin had to come to his aide more times than he would have liked (once was actually one to many). What's more he couldn't understand why he was having so much trouble but Laurent, the only other child in the group, wasn't.

Before his life could be put in danger again the battle ended when Chrom slayed the leader. Hiding behind his mask, Gerome was able to hide his exhaustion and anger. His little group relaxed as they waited for the others to join them and he was off to the side sitting in silence. His eyes followed the tactician, who seemed to have overcome her fear (and that added to his frustration), as she scurried around fussing over injuries; he felt that she lingered on Laurent longer than necessary. After everyone else was taken care of she turned her sights on him and she was the last person he wanted to deal with.

"I'm fine," he grunted as she held up a bandage for the cut on his arm.

She frowned at his difficulty. Opening her mouth to object it was not her voice that was heard but a young man's, Morgan's. He ran to her with the largest grin on his face. He began to talk about his battle achievements and Gerome found what little patience he had running out very quickly.

Unconsciously he scoffed at the family scene before him. That act alerted Morgan to the other man's presence. Eyes grew wide and his mouth was agape that made Gerome a bit uncomfortable.

"Father?" the tactician-in-training asked. Out of shock his mother called out his name with cheeks aflame. It wasn't like him to ask that aloud but he was starting to get tired of looking for his father.

The awkwardness was gone and anger returned for the masked youth. He turned to the woman, who was too embarrassed to look at him. "So, that's the kind of woman the tactician is." He had no idea where that came from. And he instantly regretted it. He didn't hate her. After all how can you hate someone you just met, especially someone who was worried about you? He just lost control and that rarely happened.

She wore the same expression that her son had not too long ago; while the son possessed an angered one. He wanted to apologize but when he spied the furred eyebrow, narrowed eyes, and curled lip he knew she wasn't going to allow him too. Instead of the rebuttal he expected and deserved she just threw the bandage at him and walked off with her son right behind her.

Sighing he clasped onto Minerva's side. She wormed away and growled. "You're angry at me too?" She growled again, a bit more softly. "I know I'm an idiot."

* * *

That was a battle she would soon like to forget but she couldn't. But at least it was behind her and she was grateful for it to be over. Wyvern Valley was a place she planned to never visit again if she could help it. Somehow her fear of heights still went unknown (as far as she knew) but it was very hard to keep it a secret when both Chrom and Laurent questioned her about her strange actions.

The battle and the trek across the valley had long ended but her fear did not. If she didn't constantly remind herself to get control she would be trembling. Nothing she did eased her fear. It was frustrating because it was any annoying distraction and she had enough distractions to deal with.

She was getting nowhere with her studies in dismay she gave up and went on a walk. Her legs were wobbly from a mixture of residual fear and stiffness from the long hours in a chair. She was grateful that it was late and most had turned in for the night so they wouldn't see her poor state.

An arm wrapped over her shoulder and she stiffened. Her hand drifted to the steel sword at her hip. When a familiar voice greeted her instead of the expected foreign voice she relaxed greatly. But her hand didn't leave her sword as she debated whether or not to use it as a punishment for scaring her.

"Gaius! What in Naga's name is wrong with you?" the frightened woman yelled in a hush whisper. In the end she decided that cutting the thief's arm off wasn't good for anyone. He just laughed at her and dodged the punch she threw. The prospect of cutting his arm off was starting to out way the negative the consequences. "What do you want?" She finally asked as the last bit of adrenaline ran out.

A grin spread across his face. "I have a proposition for you, Bubbles." An eyebrow was arched. "I know that you are terribly disappointed that I can be your son's father." She rolled her eyes and he ignored it. "But you can have the next best thing, my son!"

Flabbergasted, Robin stumbled away. "Are-Are you really offering me your s-son?!" So many thoughts passed through her mind and he just sat back and watched. All the facial expressions that passed so quickly were quite amusing to watch.

When he swore that he saw smoke coming out of her ears he decided it was time to speak again. "Of course not." He broke into a laughing fit because of her not-so-intimidating snarl. Shouting only made it worst. All her attempts to show off her anger left him gasping for air and she considered cutting his arm off again.

Sighing all her anger left and exhaustion was left. He flashed her a grin but she didn't bother to reflect anything back. An awkward cough into his hand changed the mood, slightly.

"In all seriousness it is about Gerome." It was very rare to see Gaius serious. In fact, she wasn't even sure she saw him like that it was weird, to say the least. Out of pure awkwardness she shuffled around and he followed in her example by rubbing the back of his neck. After opening and closing his mouth several times he finally sighed.

"It's weird to have a son, right?" He stared at her in utter shock before a smile graced his lips.

"Out of all the Shepherds I guess you would understand, huh?" Finally she could have someone to relate too. All the other parents adapted so well to discovering that they had a child in the future, she felt like the odd one out (of course it didn't help that she was the only single mother too). He looked off to the stars. Another sigh escaped his lips as he returned his gaze to the silver-haired woman. "I never saw myself settling down, let alone starting a family. I guess you felt the same?" She agreed.

A silence fell between them and their awkward stances returned. Again he went back to the routine of opening and closing his mouth a bit before decided to just keep it closed. She watched him as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

"Want me to keep Gerome off the front lines?" the tactician guessed. It was a question she was constantly asked and she understood. She would love to keep Morgan off of the front as well but he was to valuable a unit to do so. And even though she saw great potential in Gerome she would comply with his parents' wishes.

"No." That was certainly not the answer she was expecting. Sighing he yet again returned to rubbing the back of his neck but not out of awkwardness. "I know he's a better fighter than me and it would be idiotic to keep him off the front lines. …I guess that makes me a bad father, huh?"

She shook her head no. "If you're a bad father than I'm a bad mother." He gave her a sympathetic smile.

Silence overcame them yet again. The thief went back to trying to figure out what he wanted to say and she watched. Sighing, he finally decided to just come out with what had been plaguing him. "You know for being my son he sure is antisocial. How is that even possible?" She fought back a chuckle at his exasperation.

"Because he's the 'lone wolf'," she said it with a bit more bitterness than she meant too. A lone wolf was the last thing she needed in the Shepherds. In her opinion he would do more harm than good, if he continued to separate himself from everyone. Also she was still made at that snap judgment he made about her character earlier, though she would never admit it.

The bitterness didn't go unnoticed and he gave her a quizzical look. She sighed but didn't explain and he let it go. She didn't want to go into detail about how a lone wolf would be more detrimental than good to a group function and she knew he wouldn't care.

"I knew you would get it, Bubbles," he said it to change the subject, "I was hoping you could help Gerome with that." She gave him a look that said "Why me?" and he laughed. "Because Bubbles, only you can infiltrate the barrier that exists around the kids." She had no idea what he meant by that but agreed none-the-less.

Now she was given another task to add to the many she already processed, "Tame the Lone Wolf". She was not looking forward to doing it. In fact, she was trying to coming up with excuses to get out of it but she knew that she would eventually have to confront Gerome about his lone wolf attitude. Better get it out of the way than put it off for later.

After Gaius and her parted ways she gave up on continuing her walk. Exhaustion compelled Robin to call it a night. She didn't get much done and she wasn't pleased but there was nothing more she could do in her state. Tomorrow she would just study more than usually. That wasn't going to be fun.

She returned to her tent to discover the last person she wanted to deal with, Gerome. He paced back and forth muttering to himself, completely unaware of her. She watched with amusement at all his gestures and made up conversations. It wasn't hard for her to figure out what he was there for. She smiled as she realized that he wasn't as bad as she led herself to believe.

Before she could make her presences known he took off his mask to rub his tired eyes. She gasped when she got a good look at his face. "Damn it all," she mumbled to herself. The last thing she needed was to be attractive to another child. "What's wrong with me?"

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I got some great suggestions for Morgan. I'll try to incorporate them into the next chapter. Out of curiosity (and as suggestions) who would you like to see Morgan paired up with?

Like all the other chapters I'm shamelessly asking for reviews! PLEASE!


	8. Training Issues

Sorry for not updating last week, I lost track of time.

Another thing before I begin, it's not fair that the avatar can't have twins! I want to pair up Female Morgan with Owain but I still want to be a girl!

Okay, with that rant done you may continue.

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Ch. 8: Training Issues

"Infiltrate the barrier that exists around the kids." Robin still didn't know what Gaius meant by that but she did know that there was a wall between the children and the adults but that was to be expected. So, why was she the only one that could breach it? Was it because she was the tactician? If so didn't Chrom too possess the power? But he was busy, but then again so was she.

Robin would have concluded that it was just Gaius putting off his fatherly responsibilities onto her, if she hadn't constantly seen the thief try to interact with his son. It was a sad sight to see so she tired her hardest to befriend Gerome. It was very easy to befriend the other children (though Lucina was a bit difficult) but the wyvern rider proved to be a frustratingly stubborn young man.

The barrier she was supposed to break proved to be quite difficult; in fact, she was engulfed in it. Before she knew it most, if not all, of her free time was spent with the children. And because of that she was able to realize that they were adults, forced to grow up early. All were adults in her eyes except for Laurent and Gerome (and of course Morgan); it was the only way she could keep her irrational mind in check, though it was proving to be more and more difficult with each passing day.

Robin watched the young adults before her. She had dragged them away from the camp for some special training, most came willingly. During the battles with the Valm forces she noticed that the new additions to the shepherds were all skilled warriors but were inexperienced when it came to fighting humans and it was something that she needed to fix quickly.

"Why isn't Morgan here?" Severa complained and Robin took on a far off look. Out of all those that came from the future Morgan was the most skilled when it came to fighting humans but weak against the Risen and that gave her so many questions.

"None of you remember Morgan, correct?" It was a question that the tactician asked everyone so they just gave a simple nod out of curtsy. "I speculate that the future Morgan came from they are not fighting Risen but other humans." That hypothesis left her with so many questions. But the biggest one was why didn't they run into any other children from that time? Did Morgan come to the present by accident? Or was he the only survivor?

Clearing her head form those thoughts with a small shake she clapped her hands to change the subject and mood. All stood close to each other with the exception of Gerome, who insisted on standing a bit away. A smile plastered itself on Robin's face to lightening the mood and she looked at each one.

"So, who's first?"

All those from the future eyes landed on Lucina, as it was expected from their leader and the one most hungry for strength to go first. Gasp and confusion rang out at the one to step forward was not Lucina but Gerome. He grunted at all the confused stares and raised his bronze ax to Robin.

Normally he would just scoff at anything that dealt with interacting with people, especially those from the present, but he was getting tired of Robin constantly coming to his aid. In his original time line he was one of the strongest and yet in the current time, he found himself in, he was struggling. He stared at the cut that decorated Robin's cheek, her latest wound from protecting him; he didn't want her to get hurt on his account anymore.

"Okay," she said after the shock wore off, "Gerome and Cynthia I'm going to make things a bit difficult for you two. You are not allowed to fight on your mounts." He grunted as it was obvious when she made him leave Minerva behind but Cynthia complained none-the-less. "You two need to practice fighting off of them just in case something happens and you can't use them." Again he grunted but agreed.

She began to go into detail about the training season. She described how she would attack as well as why she was the only "enemy". Safety was a big importance and so they were only going to use weak, practice weapons but while she said that she was swinging around a Thoron tome.

When Severa finally pointed out the powerful tome, in one of her many complaints, the older woman merely gave a sheepish grin as an apology and switched it for a weak, wind tome. Complaints and whispers spread throughout the group but Gerome knew better. He understood that she was just trying to intimidate them; something humans had many ways of doing while a mindless Risen could only roar. With the explanation done she slipped into the woods to begin the session.

With a good distance between them the tactician decided it was safe. She found a suitable tree and climbed it; the height gave her a good view of those from the future. She watched the wyvern rider a bit as she came up with a plan of attack.

Up in the tree a disturbing feeling washed over her. The brand on the back of her right hand began to burn and itch, terribly. It had been a sensation that happened often but she was always too engrossed in the heat of battle to notice. Finally the feeling got the better of her and she jerked her head to look behind her.

Nothing was there but that didn't shake the feeling that was starting to turn into fear. The burning and itching feeling on her brand increased and she subconsciously started to scratch it was great vigor. Eventually she asked, "Who's there". It was a dumb question, she knew that, but she couldn't help it. Seconds ticked by and as she had expected nothing happened. Despite the nagging feeling she concluded it was her imagination and turned her focus back onto her training partner.

Her punishment was an arrow to her right shoulder. The force and shock knocked her out of the tree. She grabbed a branch to save herself, only for it to break and her fall continued. She landed on her injured side, hard, and fought back the cry of agony that wanted to be released.

Quickly righting herself she came face to face with her attacker, a Risen archer and a fighter. "If it's just you two then I should be fine," she tried to brag but when she tried to move her right arm a sharp gasp of pain escaped her lips; her arm was broken. "I don't need both arms." Her strained voice and pained expression betrayed her less than convincing argument but it didn't matter to the Risen anyway.

"Gri…ma…," the archer spoke and for some reason that she didn't know it terrified her. Disregarding the weak tome she grabbed her strongest weapon-a Thoron tome. In a clumsy display of using one hand to turn to the needed page she blasted the archer.

Relief washed over her as she watched her foe vanish in a puff of purple smoke. Courage bubbled inside her as she laid her eyes upon her final foe. As she struggled to ready her book a bloody feather floated into her view that was her only warning. She narrowly escaped the wrath of the silver lance that pierced the ground she was just at.

A Falcon knight joined the team. In a foolish move she took her eyes off the knight to look back at the fighter, who was now joined by many. Instinctively she stepped back and by sheer luck avoided another strike from the lance. The burning sensation intensified and she was afraid that her hand was going to burst into flames.

"…Grima…," the Risen spoke in unison and again it terrified. Her fear nearly compelled her to run toward the children but she managed to prevent herself. She remembered that none of them had a weapon fit for battle and she didn't want to force the unsuspecting children into a dangerous battle. Going against her fear and intelligence she ran in the opposite direction in hopes that the living dead would follow; they did not disappoint.

The children sat around, growing more and more impatient. Confusion, concern, and complaints were exchanged between everyone (except for Gerome). "You don't think she left us?" Brady finally voiced the question most had been wondering.

"No," Lucina was the first to answer, "Robin wouldn't do that."

Before the counter arguments could begin they all at once noticed the sudden lack of wind and sound. Looks were exchanged when the final warning, a sudden drop in temperature, happened; they instantly knew what was coming. Those were warning signs that Risen were coming and those from the present had yet to recognize them. In a matter of just a few seconds they were all ready for battle. They knew they didn't have ideal weapons but that didn't matter, they had to make sure that the Risen didn't get to the camp.

Realization hit Laurent like a ton of bricks. "Robin!" His fear and alarm caused him to voice it. Without a thought he broke into a run in the last direction he saw her leave; he clutched the wind tome in his procession as he prayed for her safety. The others didn't even try to stop him, instead they followed.

It didn't take them long for them to reach the area Robin used to be in. In desperation they searched for clues as to where she could have gone but only found her blood and discard wind tome. Many terrible scenarios started to play in their heads and that didn't help to keep the panic away from Laurent.

A miss guided Thoron spell provided hope for everyone and in a silently hurry they followed the direction it came from. The sight they discovered wasn't what they were expecting; Robin was backed into a tree surrounded by Risen. Her right arm was limp and blood trickled down it and pooled into a small puddle under her. In frustration and hopelessness she threw her most powerful tome away as it was becoming just too difficult to turn a page and cast a spell without her dominate arm. And even though she was far from being a master she pulled out the Silver sword at her hip. She gave a quick prayer of thanks to Naga (or whoever was watching over her) for having her change her mind about leaving the blade back at camp.

Just like before the young mage was the first to charge and cut through the small opening; Risen could always be counted on to have a weak formation. Robin nearly dropped her sword in a mix of shock and fear. Those from the future formed a wall around her to keep the exhausted tactician safe. She tried to protest but Brady forced her to sit so he could treat her wounds.

Her eyes were glued to Laurent as he picked up her forgotten tome. The expression she wore unnerved him so he spoke calmly to her, "Robin, I'm only going to borrow this for a moment." Her expression didn't change. "Don't worry; I'll be sure to return it, in post haste once this battle is over." He knew that wasn't what was troubling her but that was all he could do at that moment. In a weak protest she reached out with her broken arm and another gasp of pain escaped her lips, worry and anger spread like wild fire. "Please just rest for now. We shall eradicate the Risen," he said in hopes that, that would calm her.

"But-" she began but was silenced when Lucina slipped the sword out of her hand.

"We shall handle this. It's our expertise," the young lord joined in the comforting but it backfired. Guilt ate away at the tactician as she felt like she had failed to protect them.

"I'm sorry." Brady merely grunted the apology away as he went to fixing her arm.

Amazing, couldn't describe what she had witnessed during that fight. She always knew that they were strong but because of their parents' concern their true potential was never truly demonstrated. Only two had an actual weapon and yet all fought incredibly; Gerome and Cynthia did much better off their mounts than what Robin expected. But Risen were still different from humans.

"Are you alright?"Lucina was the first to ask. Brady grumbled at the silver-haired woman's lie that she was fine. All the skeptical looks made her repeat the lie a few more times.

The looks sill stayed but it was time for the questions and complaints to commence. No one was giving her a chance to explain herself. Normally, she would just listen but a few snap judgments at her character were starting to get to her pride. Before she knew it she jumped to her feet and immediately regretted it. The injury she received to her side was made known and the concern and complaints multiplied.

"Training isn't over yet!" she shouted instead of arguing back and startled everyone. Before anyone could argue she was already on the run. "Find me!"

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Robin was used to be calling a genius (even though there was much she couldn't do); she could kiss that title good-bye now. She knew what she did was beyond idiotic but she couldn't help herself and it was thanks to her pride that kept her continuing the foolish act. Running away was bad, doing a terrible job at wrapping her bandages onto the first was worse, cramming herself into a crate on top of everything else was probably the dumbest thing she ever did. And she knew that; though, it didn't change anything.

She shifted around trying to make herself comfortable but all it did was agitate her wound. Eventually, she gave up and accepted a tolerable position. In her mind she ran through so many scenarios that could have prevented herself from being in her current position. She cursed herself for not thinking of any of those earlier.

Suddenly the lid to her crate was opened and Gaius was staring down at her. "Hey," she greeted half-heartily. His scowl didn't change. "Heh…Fancying meeting you here, huh?" Again his expression remained the same and she immediately understood the situation. "I can't believe they told on me!"

He didn't waste any more time as he pulled her out and paraded her throughout camp. She knew she was in serious trouble when he referred to her by her name. Ignoring all her complaints and threats he shoved her into her tent so that she could face the wrath of her next judges- Vaike and Lissa.

The silver-haired woman felt like a little kid caught stealing from all the stern lectures she received. Everyone had to point out her mistake and went into great detail about how foolish it was (something she was already well aware of). As expected no one even gave her the slightest chance to explain herself.

To her surprise and horror Severa gave her the longest lecture but Chrom's was by far the worst. The lord repeated practically everything everyone already yelled about and said it over and over. It was so bad that Sumia excused herself from it. Robin's patience was lost halfway through his rant and she ended up yelling for the Risen to finish their job. As expected the lecture ended with one of their childish arguments (and that was why everyone made Chrom go last).

Sighing she flopped onto her bedroll. The only one that listened to her strategic reason was Morgan but he was understandably still upset. She made a mental note to never give Severa a reason for a lecture; she just wouldn't stop and had to be dragged out of the tent so others could have their turn. Expecting the lectures to be done she began to remove her cloak but when someone cleared his throat she stopped with a sigh.

It was Laurent's turn. She was sure that he would listen to her; his mother was going to but Gregor wouldn't allow it. She resumed sitting on the ground (she wasn't allowed a chair or anything) and offered the chair at her desk. She gave a silent thank you to whoever cleaned her tent, while she was in hiding.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, why did you lead the Risen away? What possible reason could have made you believe that was excellent strategy?" Well, when he put it like that she lost confidence in her already poor strategic choice. She looked at him and his expression was cold and hard; he wanted an answer.

She thought carefully how to answer the question. She had her logical reason and an emotional one but there was a part of herself that didn't understand her action, she believed it had something to do with lost memories. After a moment of silence she decided to start off with the emotional reason because he was a bit more in tune with his emotions than his mother and might just forgive her with that. Also because she felt like he would just point out how terrible her strategy was; he was becoming a fine tactician.

"I didn't want to force you children to fight. I wanted to protect you in what little way I could."

"I'm twenty one," he said with force. He really wanted that point to be made clear to her. That little information was like a slap to her face. She no longer could deny that he wasn't an adult after that. The irrational part of her mind clung to the fact with great force. She couldn't help herself at wondering why he stated his age and not the typical "I'm not a child" response; her giddy irrational mind had many theories as to why.

Shaking her head she tried to clear her mind of all the thoughts that were born from that information. Quickly she gave the pathetic tactical reason for more of a distraction and change of subject than anything else. She found herself unable to look at him after the shattering of her mental barrier.

He was quiet as he processed that information and Robin's reaction to his age. She missed the small sigh of disappointment he released but noticed the few nods he generated made her hope that he understood and that encouraged more unwanted thought. Again she shook her head, but more harshly, and a small headache formed.

"I understand." She let out a small sigh of relief. "But it's still my inclination that you would rely on me more. I would like to believe that I am more than just your lieutenant…" A blush formed across his cheeks and he had to look away out of embarrassment. And just like that she had lost the war with her thoughts and started to blush as well.

With a small cough into his hand and adjusting his glasses once he said his good night and left; all while unable to meet her gaze. Once he was gone she buried her face into her hand and let out a frustrated sigh. Despite being very pleased she wished she hadn't heard that.

Wallowing in her guilt she didn't notice her new guest. Gerome hovered at her tent entrance waiting for her to pay attention. He coughed into his hand, cleared his throat, and even grunted a few times but nothing alerted her. He contemplated about just going up to her but he found himself unable to leave his spot and he was too nervous to speak.

With a large sigh the tactician broke out of her hunched position. She nearly jumped when she finally noticed him. She motioned for him to sit on her chair so that she could hurry up and get the lecture over with but he didn't budge.

"I must say, you are certainly full of surprises today," she said only to break the silence.

"Why….," he began but stopped immediately. He looked off to the side a bit before returning his gaze onto her. She remained quiet as to not prolong the ordeal.

He focused on the cut on her cheek and his resolved strengthened. He pointed to his cheek, where the cut would be for her, but she didn't understand what he was trying to point out. Even though, she wasn't getting it he continued with it and refused to say anything because voicing it would be like admitting it his mistake. He knew it was shameful to feel that way but he couldn't help himself.

Finally he let out a frustrated sigh. He still didn't say anything but closed the distance. With the space between them greatly reduced he pointed to her cut. Her fingers brushed over the cut and the pieces of the puzzle finally came together. Now that she finally remembered he felt like continuing.

"Why do you fight as if your life has no value?" Unable to respond all she could do was just stare at him.

That wasn't the first time that point was made clear to her, Chrom and Lissa on numerous occasions got angry at her for her recklessness. But she didn't know why she was like that. Just like all the other times she wracked her brain for a reason. Instead of finally getting the answer she remembered the Risen and them calling for Grima. Fear caused all thought processes to cease.

"Robin?" he called out of worry once he saw her eyes go wide and cold sweat drip down her face. She trembled and stared off into space, his presence became a distant thought. "You-"

"I don't know," she finally answered but it was barely a whisper.

Afraid to press more on the issue he left it at that. Nervousness caused him to step back but worry held him in place. Taking a deep breath she came back to her senses. She gave him a small smile in hopes of comforting him but it didn't work.

"Just…just be careful." He wanted to add more but he was too embarrassed to do so and he wanted to kick himself for it. With an internal sigh he said a simple good night and left before his emotions could make him even more uncomfortable.

She continued to sit on the floor, not because she expected someone else to show up and scold her but out of fear. She looked at her bed and concluded she wouldn't be getting a peaceful night sleep. So to prolong the nightmare, she would surely have, she decided to study, even though she was not in the mood at all.

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I'm sorry that I didn't update last week but at least this chapter is long, right?

I got a lot of responses about Morgan's potential partner and three women were popular: Lucina, Nah, and Severa. So those are the narrowed down choices. Please help me choose a mate for my boy.

As always, please leave me a review and help generate ideas!


	9. Nightmares

Sorry again for the wait but I wrote another long chapter; long chapters need more time. In fact, it's the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic! I'm a little proud, okay?

At the beginning of this story I said there were going to just be minor spoilers, I lied. So now there's a major spoiler in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

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Ch. 9: Nightmares

War breeds nightmares; there is no doubt about that. And those from the future had more than their fair share. As for Robin she usually went to bed too tired to have dreams of any kind but as of late nightmares terrorized her, even during her fits of extreme exhaustion. She now fully understood why the children put off sleep for as long as they could.

One would expect her nightmares to be about the war she was fighting but they weren't; they were about the future. At first she thought it was because of the vivid stories the children told but after the tenth one she started to think differently. Her dreams were always about fighting. Older versions of the Shepherds face horde after horde of Risen and one by one her comrades fell but she was never there. That wasn't true; she was there watching over everything from a great distance. She never felt regret, anger, or sadness when she saw one of her dear friends die. No, she felt something sinister-pleasure and joy. It was only when she felt those feelings that she was able to wake up.

Fear caused her to never speak of her nightmares. How was she supposed to discuss them without coming off evil? She didn't need Fredrick watching her every move again. She buried the fear deep inside along with so many other things and continued on as if everything was just peachy. Her night terrors were becoming more and more frequent and because of that she wasn't getting much sleep. But lucky for her she could pass off the bags under her eyes as just long nights of studding and no one would question a workaholic like her.

Robin was never fond of alcohol and the hobby of drinking always seemed like an idiotic thing to her; after all she liked to always be alert and aware and considering her position it was expected. But with more and more sleepless nights under her belt she was starting to consider taking up the habit. She was surprised that none of those from the future took up drinking but their reasons made sense; in their time alcohol was scares and they had no choice but to be on constant alert. She felt guilty for wanting to start drinking when the children felt like they couldn't and suffered with their nightmares but at the same time she didn't care; she just wanted her dreamless sleep again.

Staying near a town meant the Shepherds were free to enjoy whatever it had to offer and for the older members it usually were the pubs. Everyone got so used to Robin turning down their offers to join them that they just stopped asking. That was okay as someone needed to stay behind and watch the camp, as Fredrick had to leave to keep an eye on his lords and any lecherous men that would dare approach his lovely wife. As far as she knew she was the only one to have stayed behind. After making a few round and finishing her chores she retired to her tent to formulate tomorrow's schedule.

That day was supposed to be a day for relaxing as Chrom had stated before so Severa wasn't pleased to see the overworked tactician still working. She needed a plan to stop the older woman; lucky for her she had an obedient friend to help, Brady. Brady never got the chance to into town and buy the items he needed; he was quickly abducted and forced to work for the "master plan".

"I don't see why I have to do everything?" the priest grumbled as he made a crate "pretty". With a nice sheet covering it he prepared the tea that would sit upon it.

With a scoff the mercenary explained, "Because I thought of everything and I'm keeping an eye on Robin." He continued to grumble and she ignored him. "We don't want an exhausted tactician guiding us. I'm not going to lose my life just because she's too tired to think!" She added the last part to hide her feelings.

Holding up the bottle of ale, he was forced to retrieve, he started to question the plan all over again. To his regret she went over how Robin wouldn't take a break if she had the choice and how getting her a little tipsy would help the white haired woman relax. She also explained why they had to trick Robin into drinking the alcohol filled tea. Hearing it for a third time still didn't expel his doubts but he went along anyway. He too felt like the tactician needed a break but he didn't have any ideas about how to make her.

Pouring the ale into the tea the two were unaware of the man that joined them. Normally Gerome wouldn't spare them a second glance but they were being suspicious outside the older woman's tent. When he finally realized what they were doing he questioned them, causing the two to jump and Brady to spill everything on the floor.

"Gerome?! What are you doing here? Didn't Inigo drag you way?"Severa was quick to snap and he asked again, "None of you business. Now go away."

The wyvern rider watched carefully as Brady made the little tea area presentable again. He sighed as he put two and two together. He figured their little plan wasn't going to work but he didn't say anything and decided to let Robin do it. He figured it would be amusing to watch.

Once everything was done and another glare was sent at the unwanted man the brash teen called for the chief tactician and a few seconds later she emerged confused to see others at the camp. Disregarding all pleasantries the young lady forced the older one to sit and drink. Between Brady's mumbling and the strong stench of alcohol, Robin quickly grasped the situation. Briefly she contemplated what to do before deciding to play along that way she got the drink she so desired.

The alcoholic tea burned her throat. She was reminded of another reason why she didn't drink, the taste (the tea only made it worst). Despite the burning and the very unpleasant taste from the unusual combination she hungrily gulped it down; desperate for the sweet relief she was promised.

Gerome's mask was able to hide most of he emotions and expressions but a few were still able to be seen like shock, for example, as his agape mouth matched Brady's. Severa, on the other hand, was doing her best to hide the proud smile that was trying to fight its way onto her lips. If Robin wasn't completely sure that the tea was a prank she was sure then.

Guilt was always there to harass her for every little thing. Sighing she looked down at the empty cup and back at the children that were watching her carefully. She placed the cup down and Severa was quick to order the unwilling Brady to pour another. She didn't move after he was finished.

Eyes were glued to the cup as she asked them to join her. Did that make her a terrible person for encouraging children to drink, even if they weren't really children anymore? She only wanted to give them some relief, even though it would only be for a short time. They didn't hesitate to refuse and the second cup was forced upon her.

She watched the children and kept the cup firmly on the crate away from her. She, in turn, was watched by the men and encouraged by the other woman. "Quit wasting my time and drink the tea already!" scoffed the impatient mercenary. Brady sighed and Gerome…well she couldn't tell if he did anything. Playing along wasn't enough anymore, she wanted to do more.

In one sip she gulped the entire cup alerting the children that she was well aware of the alcohol. The culprits cursed and the other two were silent. Instantly she regretted swallowing the cup in one gulp as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She always remembered everything to late, she had a low tolerance to alcohol; another reason why she didn't join the others.

Severa and Brady braced for the lecture they were expecting but instead they were given a rosy colored cheeks Robin along with a lopsided grin. Baffled they just watched as she clumsily walked over to them. She gave them a toothy grin before attaching herself to Gerome's arm.

"What the?!" he unconsciously asked as he gave a light tug on his arm but she refused to let go.

"Gerome," she dragged out his name as she hugged his arm more. He looked to the others for assistance but they were too in shock to be of any use. He was losing the battle within him and looked down at his captor and all the feelings he had been trying to bury burst to the surface.

She didn't wear makeup; it was a waste of time to her but she didn't really need it. Her eyelashes were long and full accenting her large brown eyes. The hint of red on her cheeks stood out against her pale skin. And her plump lips were an inviting lush red. She may have not had time for it but it seemed like nature helped her out. He remembered over hearing Severa one day complaining about how Robin was a natural beauty and now that he was so close to her he had no choice to agree.

He was in a fierce battle to regain his thoughts but was nearly lost when she spoke again, "Gerome, can you remove your mask? For me please." He heard many similar requests from all the woman Inigo forced him to meet and he was able to turn them down with somewhat easy (the fighters made it difficult) but for Robin he had to struggle to keep himself from obeying her. She pressed herself more into his arms and light tears appeared at the edges of her eyes and almost all thought processes left his mind. It also didn't help that his hormones kept pointing out how her breast were against his arm.

A few strands of her snow white hair fell into her face and he reached out to brush them away but stopped when he remembered that they weren't alone. To cover his earlier intentions he removed her from his arm and earned himself an adorable pout. Gods, why was he so weak when it came to her? He had no idea what kind of control she had over him but he wished to be free of it soon. She made a move to grab him again but he was quick to make distance. Distance allowed him to regain some control of himself.

Her gaze finally left him and he felt both relieved and disappointed. It landed on the others, who were in the middle of recovering from their shock, and an idea struck her. She reached for the tome that she had stashed away in a secured, hidden pocket in the back of her cloak and pulled it out for the entire world to see. A crazy grin plastered itself on her face and the children had no idea what to do.

With a slur in her voice she proudly declared that she would single handily defeat all the Risen. She paused as if waiting for some cheers but when she didn't get whatever she wanted she ran towards the edge of the camp. It took a second for the children to register what she was going to do before they bolted after her, shouting her name.

Severa knew for a fact that she was faster than Robin and yet somehow Robin was easily able to avoid them and stay just out of reach. Gerome was a bit behind as speed had never been one of his good points. As for Brady it was only out of sheer worry for the crazed woman that allowed him to keep going (just a few paces behind everyone). If the three hadn't been so focused on catching their targets they might have noticed that Robin's movements were a bit too tactical for someone in a drunken haze; she knew exactly when to twirl or side step out of the way whenever Severa reached for her and she would purposely lead them to an area that would cause them to fumble and slow down.

The camp was becoming more and more distant and the target had yet to be caught. She danced and twirled as if mocking them and she had no plans to stop. Brady was nearing his limit, his body cried out in protest with each step. He had to do something and quick.

"Robin stop!" he shouted for the umpteenth time but of course she didn't. "If you do we will do anything you want." Severa and Gerome would have given him a look if they weren't too tired too.

"Anything?" The white haired woman stretched out the word. Her pace slowed a little to match the tiring children. With hesitation Gerome agreed.

She stopped a few paces away from them and waited a bit for them (and her in secret) to catch their breath. Copying Anna she placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head as she repeated the word again. With a tisk of the mercenary's tongue the final person agreed.

"You three will be cleaning the supply tent to Laurent's standards for the next three weeks." Two gasps and an annoyed grunt was their response. "You said anything." She stretched the words again.

"What the hell! You ain't drunk?" Brady asked between gasps. He wanted to reflect his anger more in his question but the need for air just ruined it. A smug smile was her answer. Truth was she actually was a little bit but the running helped sober her up. "You ain't nearly as nice as everyone says you is."

"What a horrible thing to do!" Severa growled.

"You were the ones trying to get me drunk."

"We were only trying to help you relax and this is how you repay us?" There was that annoying feeling that always troubled the chief tactician. She and guilt were spending so much time together, as of late, that they were practically best friends.

"Fine, I'll shorten it to one week." That wasn't enough to please them but she had no plans to shorten their punishment anymore. "There are better ways to get me to relax."

"Yeah right."

The two main perpetrators walked away complain. One mumbled quietly while the other made sure that she was heard. Gerome stayed back, he didn't want to get involved with them again and he had some questions for the "victim".

Ever since she forced him to talk to her, it's been easier for him to talk to everyone but for some reason he still had trouble when it came to her. Whenever she was around he would become light headed and all his thoughts seemed to diminish greatly. And there was a part of him that liked that, even though it was a great liability. That part of him always made him want to talk to her, even if it was sometimes hard for him to figure out what to say. "I had no part of that," he decided to start off with that.

"You didn't stop them," she hummed as she joined his side. It was a normal safe distance that he wouldn't have noticed with anyone else but because it was her he was having mixed emotions; anxious that she was so close but disappointed at the same time that she wasn't close enough. Only she was capable to drive him this mad without doing anything.

After announcing his "innocence" his next issue was about her actions earlier when she grabbed his arm and said his name so sweetly. Embarrassment made it difficult for him to address it. He wanted to know if it was just her teasing him again like she often did but that annoying part of him that he never wanted to acknowledge couldn't bear the thought that it meant nothing to her. He really wished he didn't feel like that.

Finally, he was able to work up the courage and asked, "Robin, what were you doing earlier…before we took off running?" He couldn't find the words to make it clearer so he just touched his arm, in hopes that the gesture was enough. He was pleasantly surprised to see a massive blush spread across her face as she struggled to keep a composed expression.

"It was an act," she said only after she was completely able to keep her voice steady. But he could tell she was lying. Though she wasn't drunk she was still tipsy enough to throw her inhibitions away and just do what she desired. Lucky for her he didn't press on, he was contented enough to just know that it meant something to her, even if he didn't know what exactly.

It took them longer than necessary to meet up with the others and the others made sure that they knew that. She laughed and the two culprits stormed off again. The stragglers still stuck together; enjoying how pleasant it was to be next to each other (Gerome had some issues though).

All good things must come to end and for Robin the pleasant feeling came to a sudden, painful end. An intense throbbing rocked her head and blurred her vision a bit. She froze in her tracks with wide, unfocused eyes. It felt like darkness had engulfed her and two arms wrapped around her and pried her eyes wide open so that she could see the scene playing before. Her breathing was eradicated and then just ceased in one quick breath. Her body tingled with the sensation to run but she was rooted in her spot.

The open field, she was just in, vanished and replaced with a temple, shrine, or alter she didn't know nor did it matter. The people, she was with, faded and it was now just her, Chrom, and Validar. The two men were locked in a heated battle while she stood at the sidelines chanting a spell.

"I'm not falling for another trick!" Severa proclaimed again as the men's focus was entirely on Robin. The men shook her, yelled her name, and Brady even went as far as to slap her but nothing seemed to break her trance. Gerome gripped her sides tightly and shouted her name in her face but nothing. "Not falling for it…"

Finally movement for her gave them comfort. She raised her right hand to her face and she stared at it very intensely. All the color drained from her face and her eyes were still fixated on her trembling hand. She could feel the residual magic tingling her fingers.

"It's not your fault…," Chrom's final words floated throughout her mind followed by Lucina's, "He was killed by someone close to him."

Her breathing became sporadic and practically useless. Trembling terribly, worry gripped the witnesses once again and all were at her side. The darkness that had swallowed her now had its grip tightly around her throat suffocating her and threatening to end her. Her oxygen deprived mind finally gave in and she collapsed.

* * *

Darkness was a constant unwanted companion for Robin. It was everywhere she turned. It played such a big role in her life that even believed that she might have been born from it. She didn't realize it before but those dreamless nights she had were not actually dreamless, her dreams were about nothing more than darkness, complete utter darkness. Though it had always been with her it had been passive but now it was ready to devour her.

When she had another dream with her surrounded by it she felt oddly at peace. That was until the Risen appeared chanting Grima's name. The pitch black floor came to life and dragged her feet down into its depts. She could only watch in horror as the horde came closer and closer saying that accursed name. Finally, when they were close enough for her to see their faces she was able to make out the true terror of that nightmare, the Risen were the older versions of her friends.

With a silent scream she was finally able to awake. She bolted upright with the blanket tightly wired into her fists. Sweat soaked her clothes and still rolled down her body. Ragged breaths and racing heartbeats drowned out all other sounds. Despite being awake the nightmare replayed in her mind.

When a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder she flinched away until she was against the tent's wall. A few seconds passed before she finally realized where she was at, the medical tent with Gerome, Brady, and Severa. Worry was very evident on their faces and that only made her feel worse.

Pushing the nightmare back but not far she put on a very obvious fake smile. It was understandable why they didn't take comfort with that smile. Her shaky voice didn't help her lie either. Even though she knew her smile wasn't working she continued to stick with it.

"Robin," the sensitivity in their voices only unnerved her more.

She just wanted them to leave. She had so much to think about but she couldn't do that with the children around. Stretching her cheeks to their limits she continued to smile and it still didn't work. She knew her voice would betray her so all she could do was rely on the bad smile. Her thoughts could not be held back anymore and rushed to the fore front of her mind. Chrom's death flashed through her mind along with his final words and she just couldn't keep it together. Tears streamed down her face and yet she still kept that shaky smile.

_It was just a nightmare_, she told herself, _…But why did it feel so real?_ She recalled the event that took place when she first met her father a year ago and so many scenarios and questions flooded her mind. Was she from the children's timeline? That could explain for her lack of memories, maybe she lost them the same way that Morgan did though time travel. And if she was from the future was she the one who killed Chrom? Was she the one responsible for all the horrible things that happen in that period of time?

If those questions were true it would explain why Pelgia's hierophant looked exactly like her and even had the same name as well. The hierophant could be her from the present. So why did she travel back in time for? Was it to make sure Chrom dies? Why was she doing that?

She started to hyperventilate as her fear overwhelmed her. The constant call of her name wasn't doing anything as the others' presence had long been forgotten. When Brady reached out to touch her she started to thrash around and gave a good smack to his jaw causing to him land on his back. When she started to chant apologies to anything and everything they were left panicked.

Taking a stab in the dark Severa slapped Robin and shouted, "Snap out of it!" and it worked. The older woman just sat there starring at the other. Taking a deep breath everyone calmed down. "Better?" A nod was the answer.

They sat in awkward silence; the children were too afraid to ask what happened. When Robin truly regained her composure she spoke, "I'm fine. You don't have to watch over me anymore." Of course they didn't budge. "Please go do something. Don't waste the rest of the day worrying about me." The smile she wore wasn't a genuine one but it wasn't a forced one either.

Looking at each other for confirmation the children hesitantly left. A few paces away from the tent the priest and mercenary turned to the wyvern rider. They made random gestures to him and the tent but by the way he just stood there he was clearly not getting it.

"Ah move!" Severa all but demanded after giving up on the gestures. He didn't' budge adding to her aggravation. "What are you waiting for? Go on already!"

"What?" he finally asked.

"Robin's obviously troubled by something so go comfort her!" The sudden order completely caught him off guard. What was he supposed to say to that? Out of everyone in the Shepherds he was sure that he'd be the last one anyone wanted comforting from.

"Why me? Shouldn't we go get Chrom…or anyone else?"

"Well duh, we are going to get Chrom but someone needs to watch her in the meantime."

"Yes…But why me?"

"Because between the three of us you're the closest to her," explained Brady because Severa's patience was nearing its end.

Gerome wouldn't exactly call him and Robin close; it was more like she was forcing her way into his life. She only spent so much time with him so she could break his "lone wolf" attitude. He would never admit it but it did pain him to believe that was her only reason for being around him.

Growing more and more impatient Severa finally pushed him towards the tent. "Just go already!" Grumbling a bit he made his way towards the medical tent but stopped when he still felt eyes on him. It was his turn to gesture for them to leave as he suddenly felt self-conscious. With a roll of her eyes from Severa and a nod from Brady they left.

Peeking into the tent he noticed that Robin hadn't moved from the position they left her in and her gaze was downcast. "Hypocrite," he judged as he closed the flap. She was always telling everyone that they should talk about their troubles as it would make them feel better but there she was suffering in silence. A silent Robin just made things worst. Listening would be easy and something he could do but if she wasn't going to talk then what was he supposed to do?

He recalled a distant memory of his father comforting his mother. It was a painful memory because it was the last he saw of his father but the technique he implemented might work, but only if he could get over his embarrassment. Before he could try it out there was something that needed to be done he had to remove his armor; it had been a long time since he had been in the presence of another without it. Without even realizing it his armor had been another way for him to distance himself from everyone.

He let it fall loudly to the ground sure that it wouldn't snap her out of it; she didn't surprise him. Taking a deep breath he closed the short distance, all while she was unaware. A heavy blush spread across his face and he was so grateful that she was lost in thought to notice. He reached out for her but quickly recalled his hand. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"What am I?" he overheard her mumble. The fear and doubt in her voice threw his embarrassment out the window as the only thing that was going through his mind was the strong desire to ease her suffering. Knowing full well that calling her name was pointless he threw his arms tightly around her and brought her close.

The first thought to cross his mind wasn't a bashful one like he expected but was about how her scent was so intoxicating and how right she felt in his arms. In alarm she started to squirm making it difficult for him to hold her. Instinctively he started to caress her head and shush her to dispel the fear that he generated. Once she realized it was him she calmed down greatly but still tried to worm her way out his grasp.

"Gerome what are you doing?" she asked when she resorted to light pushes.

He didn't stop but started to run his fingers through her hair. The perplexed woman soon gave into the soothing movement and all the fight left her body. Unconsciously she let her head rest against his chest, and he suddenly became acutely aware of their situation. His hand halted halfway through her hair and his palms became sweating. His heart started to pound so hard to the point that he was sure it would burst through his chest and he was worried that she could hear it. His breaths became ragged but he did his best to keep them as quiet as possible. This was the first time he was closed to a woman who wasn't' trying to tear his clothes and mask off. Outside he managed to paint himself a picture of calm but inside he was in total turmoil. But one thing he knew for sure was that Robin's scent was delectable and her snow white hair was soft and in its own strange way it was a bit comforting for him.

"Gerome, what are you doing?" she asked again completely at peace.

He grunted as he was awoken from the nice trance he was in. "Fool! You always tell us to talk to you about our problems and yet you won't talk to us," he snapped to hide his feelings and to keep himself from returning to that trance.

"Sorry." Her voice became soft and he regretted his selfish statement. "I'm just so confused." She buried her face into his chest and he became very aware of their situation again. Fighting back the lump in his throat he grunted to let her know that he was listening. "Sorry, I don't want to talk about it right now. Not yet." She gave a light push and much to his disappointment he let her go. He felt oddly incomplete with her gone.

"Hypocrite," he snapped out of frustration and regretted it again.

"I could say the same to you," she said with a small smile. It wasn't a genuine one but it had some feeling it and it was all he needed to see to know that she was recovering.

They fell into a comfortable silence but he knew that something else had to be done or said. "…When I finally talk so will you." With a smile on her lips she agreed.

* * *

Bah! I'm not good at writing at angst. I wanted this chapter to be so much more intense…

Because I didn't mention Morgan in this chapters I'm still taking votes for who he should be paired up with but I'm removing Lucina, all her supports have seemed to have left. So it's just Nah and Severa now.

As always won't you please give me a review and help generate some ideas for me?


	10. A Little Push

Sorry for the late update. Long story short it's been chaotic in my life but it should be over with.

Maybe it's best if we just start expecting a bi-weekly update at the end of the second week. :/ Sorry, I really have no idea where my time goes.

Oh and one last thing, OVER A 100 REVIEWS?! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!

* * *

Ch. 10: A Little Push

Robin had no idea how Gerome did (nor did she really care) but somehow he managed to fix her nightmare issue, well somewhat fixed. They weren't gone (she knew they never would be), they just weren't plaguing her as often. She also found a way to combat them; for some reason sleeping in strange places, like fields or in the weapons tent, kept the dreams away. Of course her strange new sleeping arrangements made everyone worry but it eventually became a game for the those on night guard duty to find Robin and bring her to her tent.

Nightmares might have not been troubling her as much but the questions they brought up about her existence and purpose sure did. With no answers or anyone to really talk too all she could do was try her hardest and ignore them; when she couldn't those were usually the times the nightmares terrorized her as if to add insult to injury. But she did concluded one thing, if she was from the future and the one to kill Chrom she would make damn sure that it wouldn't happen and that would save the children's future.

Laurent couldn't believe the horror he was witnessing. He had seen a lot of terrible things but that…That was just down right unbelievable! Robin's tent was in total disarray. Saying a tornado ran through it wouldn't be such a farfetched theory. He would have assumed a ruffian had ransacked her tent or a wild animal went on a rampage, and with how terrible the mess was those were plausible ideas; except for the fact that the owner of the tent was at her make shift desk like nothing was wrong.

"Robin!" he shouted despite himself. His sudden voice caused her to jump and as a result she knocked over all her stuff, adding to his horror. She cursed lightly as her ink spilled into her lap. He quickly pulled her away and started to dab at the spill with a random cloth he found. He needed to erase that abhorrence spill immediately so he missed the massive blush that graced the woman, in his arms, features.

"What abomination has befallen your tent?" His voice was very strained in order to keep the shock out of it.

Free from his grasp she looked around and offered him a sheepish grin. "Morgan wanted some books," she explained as if that made everything alright.

Much to his disdain he took a close looked around her tent: books and tomes were scattered everywhere (that pained him greatly), discarded clothes made it uncomfortable for him to be in there, crates tipped onto their sides so that their contents would spill out, and all matters of trash littered the small area. The mess was clearly not caused by a search for just a few books. Finding out that she was the cause only made everything worse. "Unacceptable! We must rectify this situation immediately."

Before she could process what he said he began to pick up her books. He did his best to ignore the dirty clothes (but hormones compelled him to steal a quick peek at her smallclothes) as he went around. The nightmare grew worse as he realized that there was not even the slightest bit of organization to the chaos. He couldn't understand why she, who loved books, would keep them in such a disorganized state. As he sorted through one, of the many, piles he recalled overhearing his mother talk about organizing someone's tent. He always assumed it was his parents' as his father wasn't the tidiest person, but now he knew better and would from now on make sure he helped her.

Knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to get out of cleaning she decided to help and just get it done with, even though it would mostly likely returned to its chaotic state once she resumed her studies. They were a sharp contrast. Laurent made sure everything was organized three different ways while Robin just seemed to be putting everything up nicely in whatever way suited her. He just couldn't believe her. Was this really how the person, he so greatly admired, lived?

"Good heavens, what are you going?" he questions as he watched her put a tall book next to a small one.

She looked at the books and then at him. "Putting the books away." The casual tone of hers did not sit well with him. That couldn't possibly be how Robin felt about cleanliness and organization, right? Her lack of concern answered that terrible question.

"You are not serious, are you?" The confused look from the tactician said all that needed to be said. "Those books do not go together!" She looked at the books honestly trying to understand his point.

"Of course they do. This one," she pointed to the small one, "is about tactics in wooded areas and that one," now pointing to the larger one, "Is about the geography of Valm." She glanced at him hoping that was all that needed to be explained. He was a smart lad she didn't need to go into more detail about how the books are related or so she had hoped. His faced matched his strained voice and she needed to figure out another way to explain her organization method. "I need both books when I'm coming up strategies for potential battles."

Silenced engulfed them as he tried to grasp her reasoning but it was just not right to him. "…Unacceptable! Not only are their sizes not compatible but neither is their subject! I must remedy this immediately!"

Not even bothering waiting for her permission the mage began to reorganize everything she did and he wouldn't listen to a single complaint from her. It greatly frustrated her how he kept reorganizing everything in the camp that she did. She wished he would be more like his mother and just stick to his things. When his attention turned to another stack and he repeated his actions she felt her patience reached its limit.

"Walk!" she shouted the first nice thing that came to her mind. It successfully grabbed his attention and silenced him. "Let's go for a walk."

"I beg your pardon? But I haven't finished yet." She pulled out the book from his grasp and much to his dismay just sat it down in a random spot. Before he could object she was already shoving him out of the tent. "Robin?"

"Come along!" Laurent squirmed for a bit and tried to object but like he did to her she wouldn't listen. Sighing he gave up and allowed her to lead the way.

A walk was never a simple walk for Robin, especially when Laurent was added. Something always had to be done, someone always needed attention and she didn't really mind; relaxing was never a luxury she was awarded with. As Morgan had delicately put it to Owain, "A tactician's job is never done", no truer statement was ever uttered to her.

Normally she wouldn't mind when the issues FOUND her but Laurent went LOOKING for them; she knew she should look for them more often but at that point of time she wasn't in the mood for the little problems. They were constantly stopping every few minutes and the supposed to be calming walk turned into a troublesome chore. Every little problem was resolved in a few minutes, except when it came to Noire. Robin could tell that nothing was wrong with the archer but Laurent insisted that there was.

The chief tactician watched from the sidelines as the two from the future conversed in their own little world. A prickly little feeling bubble inside the pit of her stomach and caused her to be annoyed for really no reason but she was helpless to feel otherwise. Contraire to popular belief she was more in tune with her feeling than everyone believed, she knew what that awful feeling was, jealousy. It was a shameful feeling that made her want to look away but at the same time had her eyes glued to the pair.

The feeling burned and she was finally able to tear her eyes away and look away. A sigh escaped her lips as she found a small bird to watch. She didn't need another flaw. She was a workaholic, reckless, clueless to many things that weren't related to battles and now to top it off she was the jealous type. How was she supposed to find Morgan's father with a rap sheet like that?

Her little distraction flew away and she was desperate for a replacement. Unable to find one she returned to watching the mage and archer, who were starting to look like lovebirds in her clouded eyes. She also needed help ignoring the thought that kept ordering her to go and claim her man; such an embarrassing thought.

Sighing and grumbling she sat atop of a crate and had something smack into her back she remembered the tome she had planned to show Laurent. Revealing it to the world her fingers ran down the leather bound book. A smile crept onto her lips as she looked over the strange markings and letters that decorated its cover. It wasn't like any other book she had ever seen before and that's why it excited her. She couldn't wait to try it out and find out what secret it held.

"Might I inquire as to what you have there?" Laurent's unexpected voice caused her to jump and the tome to fumble out of her grasp but lucky for her he was able to catch it. Once it was in his hands it really peaked his interest and he became too distracted to return it.

"I know you like to collect peculiar tomes so when I found it I know I had to get it for you," Robin said even though he didn't ask. Her voice reminded him of where he was.

"You needn't have." He was trying to be polite but the delight in his eyes made her aware that she had done well. He tried to keep himself calm but curiosity was killing him. "Have you discovered its secrets?"

Shaking her head no she hopped off the crate. Smiling she retrieved the tome and held back a giggle as she noticed on how intently he watch her every move with the precious book. She flipped it to the page the incantation started on. "I was waiting for you and some free time."

He was too mature to be jumping up and down in excitement but not to mature to be rolling on the balls of his. He looked absolutely adorable and she was tempted to prolong casting but even her curiosity was getting the better of her. Taking a deep breath she began, "Oh glorious color from the rainbow in the heavens. Grace our poor souls with your magnificent presence."

She looked around for something to be different but there was nothing. Did she get it wrong? Reviewing the script confirmed her suspicions that she got it right. So what went wrong? She looked to Laurent for answers.

"Your hair!" Out of pure reaction she grabbed her hair to make sure it was there and let out a sigh of relief when it was. So what was different? Pushing the complaint about a miss placed helmet aside he held up the shiny item for her to see her reflection.

With a silent scream she gripped her hair. Stutters and incoherent phrases escaped her lips as she tried to process what happened. Tilting her head from side to side clarified that all of her hair was affected. In defeat her hands slowly slide out of her hair along with a long but quiet cry.

"I-it doesn't look that bad." The mage was quick to give the awkward compliment in hopes of bringing her some comfort.

"My hair is orange..." the tactician said in a soft miserable cry that pained him a tiny bit.

"I-indeed. But it high lightens your…your…" He fumbled for a compliment and that caused her despair to grow.

"My, my Robin, the change suits you very well," a suave voice penetrated the little secluded bubble that formed around the two. She let out another sad whimper for being discovered. "It truly enhances your beauty, which is no easy feat as you were already radiant before."

At Inigo's flattery the said beauty's face turned a deep red. She would never allow herself to fall for his flirting but it was always nice to be called beautiful even if it came from a philanderer. The only other person to compliment her like that was Morgan but it's just not the same when it came from your son.

Picking up on the discomfort about her hair the new arrival continued with the compliments. She retorted all of his compliments with a witty remark but he continued; it was a common thing for them. With each honeyed word that spilled from his lips her blush intensified letting both men know it was working. Soon he found himself complimenting her just because he liked her blushing face.

Laurent watched and was growing more and more uncomfortable. His once accusative gaze turned into a full blown glare. Noticing the hateful vibes directed at him the mercenary increased his flirting in hopes of provoking the other man into action.

"It's such a lovely color on you. I, for one, hope that it stays like this forever." After saying that he locked eyes with her, took some of her hair, and kissed it. Her cheeks were so hot she was sure that her face was going to melt off. "Truly radiant."

He spared a glance at his competitor, Laurent was angry but he still showed no sign of making a move. Chuckling a bit Inigo returned to his flirting. He was honestly surprised that Robin just hadn't left him like she did on numerous occasions.

Wrapping a strand of her hair around his fingers, he decided it was time to take drastic measures. "Maybe this is how Morgan gets his orange hair." Her embarrassment left her in a flash as that one little statement grabbed her curiosity. Closing the short distance between them he picked up her hand and held it up for her to see. "This means your choices in men don't have to be so narrow." With a wink and a kiss to her hand her blush returned with full force.

The sound of a loud smack echoed in their little camp. Inigo covered his injury hand with his other and took a few steps back because Laurent forced his way between the two. "Preposterous! There's no logical way for the spell to stay permanent." Sparing a quick glance at the woman behind him he noticed her disappointment, more fuel for the fire. "Besides white hair suits Robin so much more!"

"Suits? So are you saying that she's beautiful with white hair?" the rival asked discreetly.

"Indeed. She is alluring with hair as white as snow," he answered without hesitation.

A blush spread far and wide across her face and neck. All thought process ceased in an instant. The only thing running through her empty mind was Laurent's words. She started to play with her hair as if it would speed up the process of reverting her hair to its original color.

"Only white hair makes her beautiful?" Inigo asked coyly, prompting for more. From the corner of his eyes he could see the swooning tactician, an adorable but amusing sight. "I believe that she is breath taking with any hair color."

"But of course! Robin is truly a beauty to behold!"

"Enough!" Robin finally cried out. She was using the crate to help keep her standing. She was beyond amazed that her face hadn't melted off yet.

"Well that's my cue to leave. Tata. "Before anyone could say anything Inigo was gone.

"Robin, I do apolo-, "Laurent could get out before he was interrupted.

"It's fine. I'm just a little embarrassed is all." A little was an understatement. Her heart beat was pounding so loudly in her ears that it almost drowned out all other sounds. If she didn't' know better she would have been sure that her heart was trying to burst free from her chest. Looking directly at him was impossible and just glancing was just a difficult. "Thank you for the compliments." It was barely a whisper but he heard it.

Finally his own embarrassment caught up to him and he too found it difficult to look at her. "Er…yes," he coughed into his hand.

Fighting against her nervousness she looked at him (it was much easier when he was looking elsewhere). "And if it means anything, I…I think you are quite handsome yourself." The awkwardness grew and finally she couldn't handle it anymore. "I just remember I had something to do. We shall have to continue our walk another time." Before he could even think of what to say she was already walking away.

* * *

It took Laurent a lot longer than he expected for him to recover. He couldn't believe that he allowed Inigo, of all people, to trick him into admitting his feelings, and in front of Robin no less. It was going to take some time before he would be able to properly look her in the eye; and he suspected it was the same for her. Though one good thing did come out of that horrible ordeal, he found out that Robin found his looks pleasing.

That forced confession also brought an issue he wasn't aware of that he had-jealousy. As he had stated earlier Robin was beautiful and even though she wasn't aware of it she had caught the eye of many men but that never bother him before so why did Inigo's expected flirting did? Was it because he was courageous enough to approach her? The mage didn't know and that added to his aggravation. Regardless the philanderer had to be dealt with.

As he expected Inigo was bothering the wyvern rider. Despite all of Gerome's attempts to be antisocial and to discourage Inigo the mercenary would not leave him alone. All the talk about seducing women was starting to get infuriating to the silent man but no insult was able to chase the annoyance away. The thought of sending his beloved Minera to eat the mercenary crossed his mind on several occasions but he didn't want to make her sick.

Inigo was always pestering someone and as of late Gerome had been the unfortunate victim (he actually enjoyed the company but would never admit it). Laurent would have not paid it too much attention if it wasn't for the fact that Robin was trying to break Gerome's "Lone Wolf" attitude. He started to see the two other males' friendship as a way for Inigo to get closer to Robin, much to close for the mage's liking.

"Inigo, might I have a word with you?" Laurent asked and he found it hard to keep his frustration out of his voice.

"Why hello there Laurent." Inigo's suave voice and smile irritated the mage a bit. The intelligent man knew he would never be able to charm Robin or any women with just his voice and before he never really cared.

"Shouldn't you be with Robin?" At the mention of her name Gerome took great interest in the conversation, he knew he had no part of. Laurent blushed but hid it by adjusting his glasses. That question also threw him off but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it.

"She…had something to do." Laurent found that to be the nicest way to hide the fact that they were to embarrasses to be with each other.

"That's a shame." He couldn't ignore the bit of disappointment in the philanderer's voice and that just added to his confusion.

He didn't waste time on thinking about the question because he knew full well that it would distract him from his mission. With an adjust of his glasses he renewed his focus. "What I need to discuss with you does concern Robin."

"Need help wooing her? I make a great wingman." A blush again spread across the mage's face and adjusting his glasses for a third time wasn't going to hide it. Gerome's focus was now entirely on the conversation but his mask helped play off his act of disinterest. As much as he would have preferred to just quietly sit back and watch Inigo just had to get him involved. "Gerome, you better take notes. I will show you how a wingman does his job." He just grunted his frustration but that went completely mistaken for agreement.

Coughing, Laurent tried to push his embarrassment aside. "No, I have no need for such a ludicrous thing."

"Ludicrous? No need? I beg to differ! You're relationship with Robin is practically nonexistent. You clearly need my help."

The wyvern rider lost all interest in the conversation; in fact, he didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to slink away and hide in the shadows. He tried, truly tried, to ignore, hide, and even outright deny his feelings for the chief tactician but he just wasn't able too. And as of late he was considering that maybe his feelings weren't such a problem that they might actually be a good thing, but if Laurent liked her that changed everything.

He didn't get along with others and it was obvious. Inigo and Laurent were some of the few that were able to put up with him; and though he never told them their friendship meant a lot to him. That just made everything so much more difficult.

He tried to slip away, to be alone and hopefully forgotten, but of course Inigo wasn't going to let him. With an arm wrapped around his shoulders he was forced to endure the conversation. He didn't need nor want to watch Laurent fiddle around and do what he was doing-denning his feelings.

"That's not the issue. The issue is your aggressive advances towards Robin. They need to cease post haste!"

Gerome might have been forced to be there but that didn't mean he had to listen, not that he could. He was much too preoccupied with his own thoughts to care about the world around him. His feelings had to be dealt with. He shouldn't be falling in love during a war; especially with someone from the "illusionary" world.

Stumbling around in a daze Robin walked around with no set destination in mind. She was ecstatic at being called beautiful but also embarrassed by just how happy that made her. It didn't really matter as her mind replayed Laurent's words over and over again. For once her irrational mind was too distracted to make absurd suggestions.

She twirled around completely unaware that day had turned to night and that her hair had returned to its original color. No one could breach her little bubble and none wanted to sour her rare good mood. With night out meant few were there for her to bump into so her dance grew more chaotic. Despite being clueless to the world she was able to keep her volume low.

Finally her bubble was popped when someone placed his hand on her shoulder. Her big smile instantly vanished when she turned to face her interrupter-Gregor. Guilt smacked her hard in the gut and made it difficult for her to breath. She admitted that Laurent was an adult but he was still the son of Gregor and Miriel.

"Robin! Just the woman Gregor be looking for," he said obviously missing her discomfort. Throwing an arm around her shoulders he started to drag her away. "Gregor needed to be speaking with you."

He prattled on and on about Laurent and how he was so proud of his son. Guilt ate away at her but was his grip was too strong for her to flee. Her uneasiness continued to go unnoticed. He gave a tight squeeze as he went into detail about something amazing Laurent did.

Finally, his recounts came to an end and so did their little unwanted walk. She was not sure if he purposefully stopped near her tent or if it was just pure coincidence; she didn't bother asking as she just wanted the conversation to be over with. Uncharacteristically he stepped back to create some distance and his cheerful grin was replaced with a stoic face.

"Gregor needed to be speaking with you about you's and Laurent's relationship." Not once in her new life did Robin ever want to run more than she did just then. She racked her mind for many strategies she could use to get far away but they would be pointless when she next saw him. She couldn't run or avoid him anymore; she had to grow up and face him. She and the mage had no relationship but that didn't mean she didn't want one. Cursing her feelings and swallowing away the lump that formed in her throat she signaled for him to continue.

"When you two making with the marring?" There was no way she could have heard him right. Leaning towards him was his hint for him to repeat himself. Nope, she heard him right. She usually didn't brag but she would admit that she was brilliant but lately men have seemed to develop the ability to cease her thought process. Starring into space she absently listened to Gregor's explanation.

Marriage…That thought hadn't passed her mind since she first met Morgan. She had been understandably too focused with the war and her feelings of attraction to the mage and wyvern rider to really think about jumping to the next level. And she was perfectly fine with not thinking about it. She wasn't even sure she wanted it; at least not until after the war.

She struggled a bit on how she wanted to phrase her answer. "I…Uh…Don't you think you are rushing things?" She felt that was the safest response she could come up with; a pathetic response but a safe one none-the-less.

"Nonsense!" But she was talking to Gregor. "The faster you marry, the faster your boy has father!" He added a wink to make it more uncomfortable. Why was he doing that to her?

With cheeks ablaze and her discomfort at its max, she accidently blurted out no. His frown was the only proof she needed to know that she messed up big time. She needed to remedy this quickly but she was far too agitated to really think straight.

"No, it's…I…uh." Her flustered mind was in a too chaotic state to form a coherent thought. His scowl was staying firm and still nothing came to her befuddled mind. Finally a sensible thought broke through and it was for her to take a deep breath to calm herself. With the fog somewhat lifted she was able to think of a response. "Don't you think Laurent and I should be the ones to be discussing this?"

Relief washed over her when his frown formed into his usual, large grin. "Gregor be making with the many apologies. Gergor be understanding you is wanting Laurent to be making with the proposing, yes?" She wanted to scream no but managed to refrain from doing so. "Gregor is sorry. Gergor will be letting you two lovebirds be having the fun." Her cheeks burned and his laughter didn't help.

Her cheerful mood was beaten, burned, and tossed aside and would not be coming back anytime soon. Feeling beyond exhausted she slugged her way into her tent, extremely grateful for it being so close to it. Not bothering to changing into her night clothes or even removed her cloak she collapsed onto her bed. She did not need another troubling thought bothering her but she rarely got her way.

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Yay, I finally added Inigo to this story! I was going to add him to the last chapter but he would have just ruined the mood. And if I had more confidence in my writing I would be adding Owain but sadly I don't have the skills for him.

As always reviews are greatly appertained!


	11. Advice Part 1

I'm so sorry for the very late update. I thought the chaos of my family visiting was over, only for more family that I never met before came to visit. And on top of all that I have writers block.

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Ch. 11: Advice Part 1

Morgan's constant cheerfulness was extremely infectious and left everyone smiling after a little talk. To everyone he seemed like a guy without a care in his world and in a way it was true; so long as he had his mother he was fine. She was all he needed; he didn't need that father he couldn't remember.

Yup, Morgan, himself, had no problems. Robin, on the other hand, had plenty of problems and hers were his, even if he didn't know what they were. It pained him that he couldn't be the one to help her with them and that she wouldn't even talk to him about them. And as much as it frustrated him, he knew that he wasn't the one that would help his beloved mother that was up to his potential father candidates.

His mother wasn't his only female problem, his crush developed into something more but he had no idea what to do about it. Even under feeling embarrassed conditions Morgan had no problem talking but when it came to admitting his feelings he was always left babbling like an idiot. He tried asking Owain and Yarne for advice but they, too, suffered the same problems (Owain wasn't that much of a surprise).

"Would you two just hurry up and get out here already! I'm not getting any younger!" a very familiar voice could be heard barking from the other side of the tents. Instinctively Morgan found himself gravitating towards the direction it was coming from. Confused the three young men that were accompanying the tactician-in-training followed silently behind. The source of the voice was none other than Severa, who stood outside her tent grumbling and tapping her foot. "Move it!"

Almost too happily Morgan tried to call out her name but stopped when two new voiced joined in the yelling. "Hold your horses!" the first one order.

"Must we come out looking like this?" the other voice complained.

"Well duh! I'm not letting my hard work go to waste!" Severa shouted back. "Now move it!"

The men sat back, their interest peaked. Morgan wanted to get closer but Inigo held him back, with something about now wanting to spoil the fun. Disappointed Morgan agreed and stood next to Owain, who started to paint an odd story about what the women were up too.

With another shout the two women emerged from their shelter. Robin and Kjelle were in dresses and the very sight caused the men to gasp. Robin's was tight but long giving an air of maturity. Kjelle's hugged her very well accentuating all the curves that her armor kept hidden. The dresses were not the only thing out of the ordinary, they were also wearing makeup. They would have a sight to beauty, if annoyance wasn't so clearly plastered on their faces. For once Owain was speechless, Ingio's goofy grin was wider than ever, and the final man, Brady, was blushing like crazy.

"I can't believe we are doing this," Kjelle sighed as she tried to prevent herself from stumbling on the uncomfortable shoes.

"What are you complaining about?" Robing sighed back. "I really thought we were done with the 'Find Robin a Man' game."

"My, my don't you ladies look more beautiful than ever," Inigo's Sauvé voice added to the ladies' annoyance.

Inigo had taken it upon himself to make a guy code for all the male children. It involved many rules, like don't date your male friend's sister (none of them had sisters so that one was easy to follow) and things like that. The most important rule that he constantly stated was one did not go after a friend's mother, but that rule only seemed to imply towards Inigo's mother. And since Robin was single she was completely fair game or so he said. Morgan was never bothered by the mercenary's flirting as he knew his mother would never fall for it.

Inigo's flittering wouldn't cease no matter how many insults the women threw at him and some were nastier than normal. It wasn't until Severa threaten that he stopped and good because Robin's and Kjelle's strained nerves were at their limits. With graceful defeat he bowed out and returned to the men.

"Mother, you look beautiful." Morgan's compliment earned the smile that the mercenary was fishing for. Thanking him, she patted his head. She had offended wondered if that was the right gesture for her to interact with her son. She saw fathers do it but never any of the mothers. She didn't know how else to interact but Morgan seemed to like it so she continued with it.

With his designated compliment towards his mother done Morgan stepped back and having his determination renewed Inigo resumed his flirting. Discretely Morgan stole glances of Severa from the corner of his eyes but because her back was to him he couldn't see what he wanted-her face. Sighing, he accepted his view and wished he could work up the courage to finally compliment her on her and not just her cooking.

The budding tactician could only watch as the philanderer said all the words he wished he could say but actually mean it. There was a shove at his side and then another and another until he finally looked the source, Owain. The blonde youth kept jerking his head and mouthed something Morgan had no idea what about. Brady was too absorbed by the sudden change in Kjelle to notice the weird motions coming from the man next to him. When Morgan didn't act, the swordsman did by shoving him into Severa.

"What's your problem?" Several growled towards both boys. Owain shrugged and pretended to engage in conversation with Brady but it wasn't going well as the priest was still lost in his thoughts. Morgan on the other hand wasn't doing too well in trying to play it cool.

"Y-you'll look v-very nice." Morgan cursed inwardly for stuttering.

"Well duh! I take pride in my looks unlike those two muscle, brained idiots." The other woman rolled their eyes but she didn't care.

Unable to think of anything else to say he looked back at his friends. Owain wasn't much help as he just motioned for Morgan to continue. Taking a deep breath the cheerful youth decided to steal one of Inigo's many lines but he never got the chance as the female mercenary started to push the other women way, while shouting insults at the men. In defeat he let the line die with a sigh.

Laughter from the black haired young man broke Morgan out of his uncharacteristically melancholy mood. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him closer. He was brought face to face with the smirk that frustrated Gerome and others so often.

"So Morgan, you like Severa?" the older man teased. The orange, haired youth's cheeks burned and he understood a little why so many found Inigo annoying. "I can help you, you know."

"Morgan actually wants to succeed," Owain butted in. That little comment set Inigo off and a fight started with Brady tying to mediate. Morgan watched for a bit before boredom set in and he slipped away, unnoticed.

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Morgan used to think that his mother was the best source for advice on everything but with his current girl troubles he believed that she shouldn't be the one he asked (also he was to embarrassed too). Owain and Yarne's advice wasn't getting him anywhere and he didn't even want to bother with Inigo's. Crushes were something a son discussed with his father and he wished more than ever to remember that man.

He inherited a lot of things from his mother, including her cluelessness. He might have missed a lot of things, especially things revolving around love, but even he could see the closeness with his mother and the two young men: Gerome and Laurent. He might not remember his father but he found it safe to assume that one of those two men were his forgotten father.

If one of them were then maybe he should ask them for advice. It was fatherly advice he was seeking but to be honest he wasn't expecting much from Gerome's or Lauren'ts advice; after all they didn't seem that much interested in the opposite sex, let alone love. Regardless, he was excited to hear what they had to offer.

He wandered around the camp in search of them. While Gerome was often a challenge to find, Laurent was usually easy to spot, except for that day. The mage was always about observing someone or something or fixing a problem but as of late he had been slacking and hard to locate. For an aspiring tactician finding the two men was the perfect challenge that he gladly accepted.

It was a surprise and yet not a complete one when he found Gerome before Laurent, the wyvern rider was with his beloved Minerva feeding her. He would have approached the older man right then and there if it wasn't for the argument going between Gerome and the other man, Gaius. Morgan couldn't hear from his position and he dared not get closer, but from what he could see the thief was trying to give his son something.

With a sigh Gaius finally gave up and left. Mumbling under his breath he unknowing made his way to the fidgeting onlooker. Once he spotted the child, from the future, a smile planted itself on his lips and Morgan calmed down. He placed the bag in the young man's hands and before the question could be asked a candy was gently shoved into his mouth.

Savoring the sugar confection Morgan was silent so Gaius spoke, "If Gerome doesn't want them than they are yours, little man." That was most peculiar as Gaius was super stingy with his treats and wouldn't even share them with Robin, who was his closest friend (next to his wife, of course), but he treated Morgan differently. He laughed at the tactician-in-training's confused expression, tussled his hair, and left. If Morgan didn't know any better he would have thought that Gaius was treating him like a grandson; and if his hunch was correct that was probably a possibility.

He continues to suck on the candy debating wither or not to approach Gerome at that moment. He watched at the wyvern rider grumbled to himself. With that mask on it was impossible for Morgan to truly tell if Gerome was angry or not. He wished he had his mother's keen intellect because she had figured out how to read Gerome even with the mask.

Eventually, he decided that it wasn't the time to approach Gerome. Stealth wasn't one of Morgan's many skills as he bumped into a crate and alerted the other person. "Morgan?" Gerome called out and the boy silently cursed himself. Putting on that smile he was so known for Morgan greeted his potential father.

He was already discovered so he decided to just go with it. Finishing off that piece of candy he resisted the temptation to eat another, or at least wait until after their conversation was over with. The bag of sweets didn't go unnoticed but then again he wasn't even trying to hide them.

Gerome rubbed the back of his neck and found it to be a bit hard to look at Morgan as he asked for one. The younger man found it strange as he was sure Gerome wasn't the type to like sweets but he guessed it would be impossible to not like them when Gaius was your father. Not a stingy boy the tactician shared, after all they were originally for the other man, and a soft smile graced the other's lips.

An awkward silence befell the two as Morgan worked up the nerve to ask for advice. He tossed the bag back and forth between his hands, trying to figure out the right way to ask it. The more he thought about it the more embarrassed he got and he was sure that Gerome was getting bored, hurting his confidence even more.

Another minute passed and Gerome finally said his goodbye and his potential son knew he had to act fast. Unfortunately for Morgan the only thing that came to his mind was to shout wait without a plan. He cursed himself a second time for doing something he knew his "perfect" mother would not have done.

That shout had a consequence he didn't think it would have; Gerome had taken it as a sign that something was wrong. Awkwardly the wyvern rider fumbled with words in an attempt to find out what was wrong and hopefully fix it. Morgan would have stopped the other man quickly but he was surprised to see the usually calm, cool, and collected man's demeanor vanish. He let it continue for a few more seconds before finally letting Gerome know that everything was fine.

The aspiring tactician couldn't tell if Gerome was annoyed at him or not so he just assumed that he was. Offering a quick apology he finally asked for the advice he was seeking but discretely left Severa's name out of his explanation. It took a second for the taller man to register the smaller man's question. He then became a stuttering mess as he tried to figure out as to why Morgan came to him out all people. Suddenly Morgan could rival Inigo and Olivia in blushing as he became extremely embarrassed and afraid to tell Gerome that he thought he could be his father; so instead he gave a lie about asking all the men.

"Uh…um…How about giving her something sweet…like chocolate?" Gerome's uncertainty was very evident in his voice. Morgan fault back a laugh; he found it very amusing that the first thing that came to Gerome's mind was sweets; he really was Gaius' son. "Or maybe flowers…Girls like flowers, right?"

Despite being uncomfortable and unsure the wyvern rider actually offered many good gift suggestions that Morgan was sure might actually please Severa, a little at least. All the suggestions, however, always ended in questions and Morgan couldn't help but think it was Gerome's way of trying to get suggestions to get close to Robin, and before he knew it Morgan ended up telling Gerome things that his mother would be pleased to receive; Gerome was very quiet during that part.

Satisfied with the advice Morgan gave his thanks and left, leaving the flustered, older man alone with Minerva. He had some good ideas but he still wanted to see what advice his other potential father had to offer. All that was left for him to do was just find Laurent.

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I've mentioned many pairings in this story but only two are actually based off from my play through. Can you guess which ones? The first person to get at least one right, I will write a one shot about their favorite Awakening pair. Please no yaoi/yuri request, I'm terrible at writing those.

Hint: It's none of the main pairings in this story.

Please guess I need help getting over my writer's block and I think a distraction will help.

As usual reviews are most appreciated.


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